Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trailer” come from?

Trailer derives from English trail, influenced by Chinese 兒 and Old French -er, ultimately from Latin -arius and -us through Proto-Italic -os.

trailer (English): Someone who or something that trails; Part of an...

Definitions

  1. Someone who or something that trails; Part of an...

Ancestry of “trailer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtrailTo follow behind ; to tail; To drag behind on...
2Middle Englishtrailento hang loosely, drag along, drag away
3Old Frenchtraillerto tow; pick up the scent of a quarry
4Vulgar Latintragulareto drag
5Latintrāgula—

Words derived from “trailer”

  • trailerable
  • trailerist
  • trailerlike
  • trailerless
  • trailerite
  • trailerful
  • antitrailer
  • semi-trailer
  • tráiler
  • трейлер
  • トレーラー
  • semitrailer
  • semitrailer
  • թրեյլեր
  • trela
Every word from Latin trāgula →