Where does “sweepstake” come from?
sweepstake (English) comes from English sweep, from Middle English swepen, from Middle English -els, from Old English -els, from Proto-West Germanic -islī, from Proto-West Germanic -ī, from Proto-Germanic -į̄, from Proto-Indo-European -íh₂ — Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
sweepstake (English): A lottery in which the prize or prizes constitute...
Definitions
- A lottery in which the prize or prizes constitute...
Ancestry of “sweepstake”, step by step
sweepstake traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sweep
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sweep | To clean by means of a stroking motion of a... |
| 2 | Middle English | swepen | To sweep; to stroke with a broom |
| 3 | Middle English | -els | suffix creating nouns denoting events, instruments, or places from verbs |
| 4 | Old English | -els | suffix creating nouns from verbs |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -islī | Used to form nouns from verbs denoting something... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ī | -ness, -th |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -į̄ | -th |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |