Where does “wheeltapping” come from?
wheeltapping (English) comes from English tapping, from English tap, from Middle English tappe, from Middle English tappen, from Old English tæppian, from Old English -ian, from Old English -ōjan, from Proto-West Germanic -ōn — he, she.
wheeltapping (English): The work of a wheeltapper, tapping a train's wheels with a hammer to detect cracks
Definitions
- The work of a wheeltapper, tapping a train's wheels with a hammer to detect cracks
Ancestry of “wheeltapping”, step by step
wheeltapping traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tapping
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tapping | An act of making a light hit or strike against... |
| 2 | English | tap | A tapering cylindrical pin or peg used to stop... |
| 3 | Middle English | tappe | A spigot or plug for a hole or spout; A hole or... |
| 4 | Middle English | tappen | To let fluids flow from a spout; To retail beer;... |
| 5 | Old English | tæppian | to tap |
| 6 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 7 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 13 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English wheel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wheel | A circular device capable of rotating on its... |
| 2 | Middle English | whel | A wheel circular device for motion |
| 3 | Old English | hwēol | wheel |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hweulō | nominative/vocative/accusative plural of *hwehwlą |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷékʷléh₂ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷékʷlos | wheel; circle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |