Where does “suitcase” come from?
I need to point out an issue with the chain provided: it appears to have inconsistencies and doesn't actually lead to "suitcase."
The chain shows: English case → Middle English cas → Old French sieute → Latin casus, but this doesn't connect to "suitcase" (which would be "suit" + "case"). Additionally, the chain seems to split and duplicate at the PIE level, and "sieute" doesn't match standard etymologies for "case."
A proper etymology for "suitcase" would trace:
- English suitcase (suit + case)
- Where "case" comes from: Old French cas/casse → Latin casus (a falling, event, circumstance)
- Where "suit" comes from: Old French suite → Medieval Latin sequita → Latin sequi (to follow)
**Could you clarify:** Is the chain you've provided actually meant to be for
suitcase (English): A large piece of luggage used for carrying...
Definitions
- A large piece of luggage used for carrying...
Ancestry of “suitcase”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | suit | A set of clothes to be worn together, now... |
| 2 | Middle English | sute | Clothes or clothing; especially those that match;... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | suite | pursuit |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | sequita | — |
| 5 | Latin | sequor | I follow, come or go after |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | sekʷōr | follow, come/go after |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sékʷetor | to be following |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |
Words derived from “suitcase”