Where does “townsman” come from?
Townsman comes from Middle English townes-man, from Old English tūnes-mann, a compound of tūn (enclosure or settlement) and mann (man).
townsman (English): A man who is a resident of a town, especially of...
Definitions
- A man who is a resident of a town, especially of...
Ancestry of “townsman”, step by step
townsman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English town
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | town | A settlement; an area with residential districts,... |
| 2 | Middle English | toun | town |
| 3 | Middle English | ende | The end or finishing of a thing; the terminal... |
| 4 | Old English | ende | end, limit, border, corner |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | andi | in addition, furthermore, and |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
via Middle English townes-man
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | townes-man | — |
| 2 | Old English | tunmann | townman, villager |
| 3 | Old English | mann | person; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | mann | person, human |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *mann- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |