Where does “weightlifting” come from?
Weightlifting derives from English weight and English lift, tracing through Old English wiht and Proto-Germanic wihtiz to Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- meaning to carry or move, combined with roots ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weyk-.
weightlifting (English): A form of exercise in which weights are lifted; A...
Definitions
- A form of exercise in which weights are lifted; A...
Ancestry of “weightlifting”, step by step
weightlifting traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English lifting
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lifting | The action or process by which something is... |
| 2 | English | lift | To raise or rise; To steal; To source directly... |
| 3 | Middle English | lifte | — |
| 4 | Old English | lyft | air, atmosphere; the sky |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | luftu | roof; air |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | luftuz | roof; roof of the earth, firmament; heavens, sky;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewp- | peel, break off; to flake off, peel, damage; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lew- | dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to... |
via English weight
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | weight | The force on an object due to the gravitational... |
| 2 | Middle English | weight | — |
| 3 | Old English | wiht | creature, person, thing, being; weight |
| 4 | Latin | Vectis | Isle of Wight |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | wextā | time, course, turn |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |
via English weightlift
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | weightlift | To practise weightlifting |