Where does “thoroughbred” come from?
Thoroughbred derives from English thorough (complete, going all the way through) combined with English bred, from Old English þuruh, Proto-Germanic þurhw, and Proto-Indo-European terh₂- meaning to cross or pierce.
thoroughbred (English): Bred from pure stock; well-bred and properly...
Definitions
- Bred from pure stock; well-bred and properly...
Ancestry of “thoroughbred”, step by step
thoroughbred traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bred
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bred | simple past tense and past participle of breed |
| 2 | Middle English | bred | bread, pastry; food, nourishment |
| 3 | Old English | bred | surface; plank, board; table, tablet |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |