Where does “tailgate” come from?
Tailgate comes from English tail and gate, where gate derives from Old Norse gata, Proto-Germanic gatwǭ, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European deḱ-.
tailgate (English): A hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle...
Definitions
- A hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle...
Ancestry of “tailgate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -gate | Combined with keywords to form the names of... |
| 2 | English | Watergate | An American political scandal (beginning with a burglary in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC, in 1972) that eventually led to the resignation of US President Richard Nixon |
| 3 | English | water | A substance found at room temperature and... |
| 4 | Middle English | water | water; water vapour, condensation; lake, pond,... |
| 5 | Old English | wæter | water |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | watar | water |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | watōr | water |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wódr̥ | water |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wed- | water |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wey- | to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;... |