Where does “thereabout” come from?
Thereabout derives from English there, from Middle English ther and þeir, from Proto-Germanic þar, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots terp- and trep- related to só.
thereabout (English): near that place, time or date; approximately that...
Definitions
- near that place, time or date; approximately that...
Ancestry of “thereabout”, step by step
thereabout traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English there
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | there | In a place or location at some distance from the... |
| 2 | Old English | þær | there |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | þār | there |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þar | there, in that place |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tar- | there |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | to- | it; that; the, that |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |
via English about
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | about | In a circle around; all round; on every side of;... |
| 2 | Middle English | aboute | around |
| 3 | Old English | onbūtan | about, round about, all around |
| 4 | Old English | on- | forming verbs and adjectives from participles and... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | ana- | Forming verbs and adjectives from participles and... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | ana | on, at; on, onto; ana |