Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “waterproof” come from?

Waterproof combines English water, from Old English wæter, Proto-West Germanic watar, and Proto-Germanic watōr, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wódr̥ meaning water.

waterproof (English): Unaffected by water; Made of or covered with...

Definitions

  1. Unaffected by water; Made of or covered with...

Ancestry of “waterproof”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishproofAn effort, process, or operation designed to...
2Middle Englishproof—
3Old Frenchprove—
4Latinprobatest, trial; proof, evidence
5Latinprobāre—
6Latinprobō—
7LatinProbus—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-bhwo-being in front, prominent
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “waterproof”

  • waterproofness
  • waterproofer
  • nonwaterproof
  • waterproof
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →