Where does “viewfinder” come from?
Viewfinder comes from English view, derived from Middle English vewe, Anglo-Norman vewe, Old French veue, from Old French veoir meaning to see, from Latin videre, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weyd-.
viewfinder (English): A device on a camera that shows what will appear...
Definitions
- A device on a camera that shows what will appear...
Ancestry of “viewfinder”, step by step
viewfinder traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English finder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | finder | One who finds or discovers something; An optical... |
| 2 | German | Finder | finder |
| 3 | German | -er | Forms agent nouns etc. from verbs, suffixed to... |
| 4 | Old High German | -āri | used to form agent nouns |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 7 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |
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 | — |