Where does “tap” come from?
Tap comes from Middle English tappe, Old English tæppa, and Proto-Germanic tappô, which may derive from Latin papyrus and Ancient Greek πάπυρος, though the connection and original meaning remain uncertain.
tap (English): A tapering cylindrical pin or peg used to stop...
Definitions
- A tapering cylindrical pin or peg used to stop...
Ancestry of “tap”, step by step
tap traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English tappe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tappe | A spigot or plug for a hole or spout; A hole or... |
| 2 | Middle English | tappen | To let fluids flow from a spout; To retail beer;... |
| 3 | Old English | tæppian | to tap |
| 4 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |