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
- A quantity sufficient to fill the trunk of a car
Ancestry of “trunkload”, step by step
trunkload traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English load
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | load | A burden; a weight to be carried; A worry or... |
| 2 | Middle English | lode | guide |
| 3 | Old English | lād | course, journey; way, street, waterway; leading,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *laidu | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | laidō | a leading; a way, course, route, direction |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leyt- | to scratch; to leave, die; to go, go forth, die |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |
via English trunk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | trunk | "Part of a body."; "A container."; "A channel for... |
| 2 | Middle English | tronke | A large chest or storage container; A container... |
| 3 | Old French | tronc | alms box, tree trunk, headless body; trunk |
| 4 | Latin | truncus | lopped, docked; maimed, mangled, mutilated; A... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | twerḱ- | to carve, cut off, trim |