Where does “urinal screen” come from?
urinal screen (English) comes from English screen, from Middle English scren, from Anglo-Norman escren, from Old French escren, from Middle Dutch scherm, from Old Dutch skirm, from Proto-West Germanic skirmi, from Proto-Germanic skirmiz — to caw, crow.
urinal screen (English): A mesh placed above a urinal's drain to prevent debris from clogging the plumbing, sometimes shaped to also hold a urinal cake
Definitions
- A mesh placed above a urinal's drain to prevent debris from clogging the plumbing, sometimes shaped to also hold a urinal cake
Ancestry of “urinal screen”, step by step
urinal screen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English screen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | screen | A physical divider intended to block an area from... |
| 2 | Middle English | scren | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | escren | firescreen, the tester of a bed; Alternative form... |
| 4 | Old French | escren | Alternative form of escran |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | scherm | protective screen; protection, cover |
| 6 | Old Dutch | skirm | protection |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | skirmi | fur, hide, pelt; covering, shelter, screen |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | skirmiz | fur, hide, pelt; covering, shelter, screen |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |