Where does “typewriting” come from?
Typewriting derives from English type and English write, with type tracing to Ancient Greek τύπος (typos, meaning impression or mark) from the verb τύπτω (typtō, to strike), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
typewriting (English): The act, or the skill, of using a typewriter; The...
Definitions
- The act, or the skill, of using a typewriter; The...
Ancestry of “typewriting”, step by step
typewriting traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English typewrite
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | typewrite | To type using a typewriter |
| 2 | English | typewriter | A device, at least partially mechanical, used to... |
| 3 | English | type | A grouping based on shared characteristics; a... |
| 4 | Middle English | type | symbol, figure, emblem |
| 5 | Latin | typus | figure, image; type, form, sort, kind; form,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τύπος | A blow, pressing; The results of a blow: mark,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | τύπτω | to beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewp- | to push, to stick |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |
via English writing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | writing | Graphism of symbols such as letters that express... |
| 2 | Middle English | writing | — |
| 3 | Old English | wrīting | writing |
| 4 | Old English | wrītan | to incise, engrave; to scratch, carve, write; to... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wrītan | to scratch, to carve |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wrītaną | to scratch, carve; to engrave, inscribe, write |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |