Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trunkload” come from?

trunkload (English) comes from English load, from Middle English lode, from Old English lād, from Proto-West Germanic *laidu, from Proto-Germanic laidō, from Proto-Indo-European leyt-, from Proto-Indo-European lēy- — to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...

trunkload (English): A quantity sufficient to fill the trunk of a car

Definitions

  1. A quantity sufficient to fill the trunk of a car

Ancestry of “trunkload”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishloadA burden; a weight to be carried; A worry or...
2Middle Englishlodeguide
3Old Englishlādcourse, journey; way, street, waterway; leading,...
4Proto-West Germanic*laidu—
5Proto-Germaniclaidōa leading; a way, course, route, direction
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleyt-to scratch; to leave, die; to go, go forth, die
7Proto-Indo-Europeanlēy-to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lēy- →