Where does “swashbuckler” come from?
swashbuckler (English) comes from English buckler, from Middle English bukler, from Old French bocler, from Vulgar Latin buccularius, from Latin buccula, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
swashbuckler (English): A swordsman or fencer who engages in showy or...
Definitions
- A swordsman or fencer who engages in showy or...
Ancestry of “swashbuckler”, step by step
swashbuckler traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English buckler
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | buckler | One who buckles something; A kind of shield, of... |
| 2 | Middle English | bukler | — |
| 3 | Old French | bocler | — |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | buccularius | bossed |
| 5 | Latin | buccula | little cheek or mouth; the beaver, part of a... |
| 6 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English swash
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | swash | The water that washes up on shore after an... |