Where does “understudy” come from?
Understudy comes from English under- plus study, which derives from Middle English studie, Old French estudier, and Latin studere, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to push or thrust forward.
understudy (English): To study or know a role to such an extent as to...
Definitions
- To study or know a role to such an extent as to...
Ancestry of “understudy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | study | To review materials already learned in order to... |
| 2 | German | studieren | to study at university or college level; to be a... |
| 3 | Italian | studiare | to study |
| 4 | Spanish | estudiar | to study; to examine, look into |
| 5 | Spanish | -ar | In adjectives, indicating membership or status;... |
| 6 | Old Spanish | -ar | indicates membership or status |
| 7 | Latin | -ō | suffixed to nouns or adjectives. Originally a-stem nouns. Later extended to nouns with other stems. Forms regular first-conjugation verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |