Where does “viewer” come from?
Viewer comes from Middle English vewer, formed with the Middle English agent suffix -er from Old French -er, ultimately derived from Latin videre meaning "to see" via the Latin agent suffix -arius.
viewer (English): Someone who views a spectacle; an onlooker or...
Definitions
- Someone who views a spectacle; an onlooker or...
Ancestry of “viewer”, step by step
viewer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English vewer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | vewer | A recorder or examiner, especially a legally... |
| 2 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 3 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 4 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English view
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | view | Visual perception; A picture, drawn or painted; a... |
| 2 | Middle English | vewe | A inspection, checkup, or examination, especially... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | vewe | sight; viewing; inspection; feminine singular of... |
| 4 | Old French | veue | sight; viewing; inspection; feminine singular of... |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | *vidūtus | — |