Where does “stopwatch” come from?
Stopwatch combines English stop and English watch, with stop deriving from Old English stoppian, from Proto-Germanic stuppōną, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European stemb-.
stopwatch (English): A timepiece designed to measure the amount of...
Definitions
- A timepiece designed to measure the amount of...
Ancestry of “stopwatch”, step by step
stopwatch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English watch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | watch | A portable or wearable timepiece; The act of... |
| 2 | English | puppy | A young dog, especially before sexual maturity; A... |
| 3 | English | puppie | Obsolete form of puppy |
| 4 | Middle French | poupée | doll, toy |
| 5 | Old French | poupée | — |
| 6 | Latin | pupa | girl, little girl; doll, puppet; pupa |
| 7 | Latin | pupus | a boy, a child; a puppet; the pupil of the eye |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂w- | few, little; smallness |
via English stop
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stop | To cease moving; To not continue; To cause to... |
| 2 | English | top | The highest or uppermost part of something; A... |
| 3 | Middle English | top | The summit or top of something, especially a... |
| 4 | Old English | topp | top, summit (of something) |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *topp | top, summit, crest |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tuppaz | tuft, plait; top, summit |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dumb- | tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,... |