Where does “sweepwasher” come from?

sweepwasher (English) comes from English washer, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.

sweepwasher (English): One who extracts the residuum of precious metals...

Definitions

  1. One who extracts the residuum of precious metals...

Ancestry of “sweepwasher”, step by step

sweepwasher traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English washer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwasherSomething that washes; especially an appliance...
2English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
3Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
4Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
5Latin-ārefirst conjugation
6Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
7Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
10Chichewaiyehe, she

via English sweep

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsweepTo clean by means of a stroking motion of a...
2Middle EnglishswepenTo sweep; to stroke with a broom
3Middle English-elssuffix creating nouns denoting events, instruments, or places from verbs
4Old English-elssuffix creating nouns from verbs
5Proto-West Germanic-islīUsed to form nouns from verbs denoting something...
6Proto-West Germanic-ness, -th
7Proto-Germanic-į̄-th
8Proto-Indo-European-íh₂
9Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from English -erEvery word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti