Where does “typewriter” come from?
Typewriter comes from English type and English writer, where type derives from Middle English and Latin typus, from Ancient Greek τύπος meaning an impression or mark made by striking, from the verb τύπτω meaning to strike, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewp-.
typewriter (English): A device, at least partially mechanical, used to...
Definitions
- A device, at least partially mechanical, used to...
Ancestry of “typewriter”, step by step
typewriter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English type
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | type | A grouping based on shared characteristics; a... |
| 2 | Middle English | type | symbol, figure, emblem |
| 3 | Latin | typus | figure, image; type, form, sort, kind; form,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τύπος | A blow, pressing; The results of a blow: mark,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τύπτω | to beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewp- | to push, to stick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |