Where does “touchdown” come from?
Touchdown derives from English touch and down, where down comes from Middle English doun, Old English dūn, Proto-Celtic dūnom, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European dewk-.
touchdown (English): A six-point score occurring when the ball enters...
Definitions
- A six-point score occurring when the ball enters...
Ancestry of “touchdown”, step by step
touchdown traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English touch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | touch | Primarily physical senses; Primarily non-physical... |
| 2 | Middle English | touchen | to touch |
| 3 | Old French | tochier | to touch |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | tucco | to knock, strike, offend; to strike; to touch; I... |
| 5 | Frankish | tukkōn | to knock, strike, touch; to touch, hit; to touch |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tukkōną | to tug, pull; to grab, snatch; to grasp, touch |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dewk- | to pull, to draw; to lead |