Where does “workpiece” come from?

Workpiece comes from English work and piece, with work deriving from Middle English wyrċan, Old English wyrċan, and Latin pettia, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European werǵ-, wer-, and wreg-.

workpiece (English): The raw material or partially finished piece that...

Definitions

  1. The raw material or partially finished piece that...

Ancestry of “workpiece”, step by step

workpiece traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English piece

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpieceA part of a larger whole, usually in such a form...
2Middle Englishpecepiece; morsel; bit
3Old Frenchpiecepiece, bit, part; circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes
4Vulgar Latinpettiapiece, portion
5Latinpettiapiece, portion
6Gaulishpettyā
7Proto-Celtickʷezdispiece, portion

via English work

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwork"Employment."; "Effort."; Sustained effort to...
2Middle Englishwerkwork
3Old Englishweorcwork, in various senses, including
4Proto-West Germanicwerkwork
5Proto-Germanicwerkąwork
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwérǵomwork
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwerǵ-to make
Every word from Proto-Celtic kʷezdis