Where does “tomboy” come from?
Tomboy is a compound of English tom, from English Tom (a name), and English boy, ultimately tracing through Classical Nahuatl tomatl to Proto-Indo-European roots.
tomboy (English): A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner;...
Definitions
- A girl who behaves in a typically boyish manner;...
Ancestry of “tomboy”, step by step
tomboy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tom
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tom | The male of the domesticated cat; The male of the... |
| 2 | Middle English | Thomme | Tom |
| 3 | Middle English | Thomas | — |
| 4 | Latin | Thōmās | Thomas the Apostle |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Θωμᾶς | Thomas |
| 6 | Aramaic | תאומא | twin; Thomas |
| 7 | Aramaic | תאמא | twin, double; Gemini |
via English boy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boy | A young male; A male child: a son of any age; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | boye | servant, commoner, knave, boy |
| 3 | Old English | bōia | boy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bōjô | younger brother, young male relation |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bō- | A stem meaning "father, brother, close male... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰā- | to say |