Where does “waterborne” come from?
Waterborne derives from English water combined with English borne, with water tracing back through Old English wæter, Proto-West Germanic watar, and Proto-Germanic watōr to Proto-Indo-European wódr̥, ultimately from the root wed- meaning to flow.
waterborne (English): transported or transmitted by water; floating on...
Definitions
- transported or transmitted by water; floating on...
Ancestry of “waterborne”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -borne | carried or spread by |
| 2 | English | borne | past participle of bear; carried, supported |
| 3 | Middle English | boren | — |
| 4 | Old English | boren | past participle of beran; born |
| 5 | Old English | beran | to carry, bear; to wear; to sustain, support |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | beran | to carry, to bear |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | beraną | to carry, to bear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰéreti | to be carrying |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰēr- | shiny, light brown |