Where does “turncoat” come from?
Turncoat derives from English turn and coat, with turn tracing through Middle English turnen and Old French tourner to Frankish *wturnan, ultimately from Latin cubare meaning "to lie down."
turncoat (English): A traitor; one who turns against a previous...
Definitions
- A traitor; one who turns against a previous...
Ancestry of “turncoat”, step by step
turncoat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English turn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | turn | "to make a non-linear physical movement."; "To... |
| 2 | Middle English | turnen | to turn |
| 3 | Old French | torner | to turn; to return; to go back |
| 4 | Latin | tornō | to turn |
| 5 | Latin | tornus | A turner's wheel, lathe; A potter's wheel |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τόρνος | A tool similar to a pair of compasses used to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | torh₂no- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | terh₁- | to rub, turn; to drill, pierce |