Where does “undershunter” come from?

undershunter (English) comes from English shunter, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.

undershunter (English): An assistant shunter

Definitions

  1. An assistant shunter

Ancestry of “undershunter”, step by step

undershunter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English shunter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshunterA railway locomotive used for shunting; a...
2English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
3Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
4Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
5Latin-ārefirst conjugation
6Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
7Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
10Chichewaiyehe, she

via English under

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunderIn or at a lower level than; As a subject of;...
2Middle Englishunderunder
3Old Englishunderunder, beneath
4Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from English -erEvery word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti