Where does “underway” come from?
Underway comes from Dutch onderweg, combining Dutch onder (under) and Middle Dutch wech (way), from Old Dutch weg (way), ultimately from Proto-Germanic under and Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- (to move or transport).
underway (English): A road, track, path, or street for going under...
Definitions
- A road, track, path, or street for going under...
Ancestry of “underway”, step by step
underway traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch onderweg
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | onderweg | en route, on the way |
| 2 | Dutch | onder | under, downwards; under; under, below, beneath,... |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | onder | — |
| 4 | Old Dutch | under | under |
| 5 | Old Saxon | undar | under |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | under | among, between; under, beneath; under |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁entér | between |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁en | in; in, inside |