Where does “topmast” come from?
Topmast comes from English top and mast, with mast deriving from Old Norse mastr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ǵ- meaning to knead or mix.
topmast (English): The highest mast in a fore-and-aft-rigged ship;...
Definitions
- The highest mast in a fore-and-aft-rigged ship;...
Ancestry of “topmast”, step by step
topmast traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Mast
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Mast | — |
| 2 | French | masse | a paste, a dough; large amount or quantity of... |
| 3 | Old French | mace | mace weapon |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | mattia | — |
| 5 | Latin | mateola | The meaning of this term is uncertain.... |
| 6 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English top
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | top | The highest or uppermost part of something; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | top | The summit or top of something, especially a... |
| 3 | Old English | topp | top, summit (of something) |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *topp | top, summit, crest |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tuppaz | tuft, plait; top, summit |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dumb- | tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,... |