Where does “switchplate” come from?
switchplate (English) comes from English plate, from Old French plate, from Medieval Latin plata, from Vulgar Latin plattus, from Ancient Greek πλατύς, from Proto-Indo-European pléth₂us, from Proto-Indo-European pleth₂- — flat.
switchplate (English): The wallplate in which a switch, such as a light...
Definitions
- The wallplate in which a switch, such as a light...
Ancestry of “switchplate”, step by step
switchplate traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English plate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | plate | A slightly curved but almost flat dish from which... |
| 2 | Old French | plate | a flat metal disk; a flat plate of armor |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | plata | silver |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | plattus | flattened; flat; smooth |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πλατύς | wide, broad; flat, level; broad-shouldered |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pléth₂us | flat, broad |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleth₂- | flat |