Where does “two-hourly” come from?
two-hourly (English) comes from English hourly, from English hour, from Middle English houre, from Old French houre, from Latin hōra, from Ancient Greek ὥρα, from Proto-Hellenic *worā, from Proto-Indo-European wēr- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
two-hourly (English): Every two hours
Definitions
- Every two hours
Ancestry of “two-hourly”, step by step
two-hourly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hourly
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hourly | Occurring every hour; Unsalaried, paid by the... |
| 2 | English | hour | A time period of sixty minutes; one twenty-fourth... |
| 3 | Middle English | houre | hour; A time, occasion, or moment; A canonical... |
| 4 | Old French | houre | hour; time; moment to do something |
| 5 | Latin | hōra | hour |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὥρα | any defined period of time; season; climate |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | *worā | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |