Where does “trolleybus” come from?
trolleybus (English) comes from English bus, from English omnibus, from French omnibus, from Latin omnibus, from Latin omnis, from Proto-Italic opnis, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ep-ni-s, from Proto-Indo-European h₃ep- — to work, toil, make; ability, force.
trolleybus (English): Alternative spelling of trolley bus
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of trolley bus
Ancestry of “trolleybus”, step by step
trolleybus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bus | A motor vehicle for transporting large numbers of... |
| 2 | English | omnibus | A vehicle set up to carry many people; An... |
| 3 | French | omnibus | Pertaining to a local; omnibus, bus |
| 4 | Latin | omnibus | dative masculine plural of omnis; dative feminine... |
| 5 | Latin | omnis | every; all |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | opnis | every, all |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ep-ni-s | working |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ep- | to work, toil, make; ability, force |
via English trolley
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | trolley | A cart or shopping cart; a shopping trolley; A... |
| 2 | English | -ey | Alternative form of -y; Alternative form of -ie |
| 3 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 4 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 5 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |