Where does “walkthrough” come from?

Walkthrough comes from English walk and through, with walk deriving from Middle English walken, Old English wealcian, and Proto-Germanic walkōną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots.

walkthrough (English): The process of inspecting algorithms and source...

Definitions

  1. The process of inspecting algorithms and source...

Ancestry of “walkthrough”, step by step

walkthrough traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English walk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwalkTo move on the feet by alternately setting each...
2Middle Englishwalkto watch
3Old Englishwealcianto roll up, curl, twist; to wrinkle
4Frankishwalkōnto roll; to full
5Proto-GermanicwalkōnąTo roll about; wallow; To full
6Indo-European*wel-

via English through

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthroughFrom one side of an opening to the other;...
2Middle Englishthrugh
3Old EnglishþurhAPI; through; by means of: by, through, via
4Proto-Germanicþurhwthrough
5Proto-Indo-Europeantr̥h₂kʷe
6Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₂-to cross over, pass through, overcome
Every word from Indo-European *wel-
walkthrough — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer