Where does “unzipper” come from?

unzipper (English) comes from English unzip, from English Un-, from English still, from Old English stillan, from Proto-West Germanic stillijan, from Proto-West Germanic -jan, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.

unzipper (English): To unzip; A program that extracts files from...

Definitions

  1. To unzip; A program that extracts files from...

Ancestry of “unzipper”, step by step

unzipper traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English unzip

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishunzipTo open something using a zipper; To come open by...
2EnglishUn-not
3EnglishstillNot moving; calm; Not effervescing; not...
4Old Englishstillanbecome calm, abate, subside; calm, pacify,...
5Proto-West Germanicstillijanto make still, quiet
6Proto-West Germanic-janCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
7Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
10Chichewaiyehe, she

via English zipper

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishzipperA zip fastener; A pressure-sensitive plastic...
2EnglishZIPInitialism of Zone Improvement Plan; A ZIP code;...
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from Proto-Germanic -janąEvery word from English Un-