Where does “welldigger” come from?
welldigger (English) comes from English Digger, from Middle English dyggar, from Middle English -ere, from Old English -ere, from Proto-West Germanic -ārī, from Proto-Germanic -ārijaz, from Latin -ārius, from Proto-Italic *-āzios.
welldigger (English): A person who digs a well
Ancestry of “welldigger”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Digger | A soldier from Australia or New Zealand; One of a... |
| 2 | Middle English | dyggar | — |
| 3 | Middle English | -ere | — |
| 4 | Old English | -ere | masculine agent suffix, originally applied only... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 7 | Latin | -ārius | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | — |