Where does “watchkeeping” come from?
watchkeeping (English) comes from English watch, from English puppy, from English puppie, from Middle French poupée, from Old French poupée, from Latin pupa, from Latin pupus, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂w- — few, little; smallness.
watchkeeping (English): The duties of a watchkeeper, i.e. keeping a...
Definitions
- The duties of a watchkeeper, i.e. keeping a...
Ancestry of “watchkeeping”, step by step
watchkeeping traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English watch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | watch | A portable or wearable timepiece; The act of... |
| 2 | English | puppy | A young dog, especially before sexual maturity; A... |
| 3 | English | puppie | Obsolete form of puppy |
| 4 | Middle French | poupée | doll, toy |
| 5 | Old French | poupée | — |
| 6 | Latin | pupa | girl, little girl; doll, puppet; pupa |
| 7 | Latin | pupus | a boy, a child; a puppet; the pupil of the eye |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂w- | few, little; smallness |
via English keeping
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | keeping | conformity or harmony; charge or care;... |
| 2 | English | keep | To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain |
| 3 | Middle English | kepen | to keep, guard, look after, watch |
| 4 | Old English | cēpan | to seize, hold, observe |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *kōpijan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kōpijaną | to look after, observe; to watch, keep, care for |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵab- | — |