Where does “yeasayer” come from?
yeasayer (English) comes from English say, from English assay, from Middle English assay, from Anglo-Norman assaier, from Old French essai, from Late Latin exagium, from Latin exigō, from Latin agō — to drive.
yeasayer (English): One whose attitude is positive, optimistic, confidently affirmative
Definitions
- One whose attitude is positive, optimistic, confidently affirmative
Ancestry of “yeasayer”, step by step
yeasayer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English say
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | say | To pronounce; To recite; To tell, either verbally... |
| 2 | English | assay | Trial, attempt; Examination and determination;... |
| 3 | Middle English | assay | Examining; investigation, looking into, research;... |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | assaier | Alternative form of essaier |
| 5 | Old French | essai | trial |
| 6 | Late Latin | exagium | weight; weighing, testing on the balance;... |
| 7 | Latin | exigō | to drive out; expel |
| 8 | Latin | agō | to act, to behave |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |
via English yea
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | yea | Yes; Thus, so; Or even, or more like, nay |
| 2 | Middle English | yë | Alternative form of eie |
| 3 | Old English | ġē | ye |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | jahw | and, also |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -hw | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -hwe | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -kʷe | and; Forms distributives from interrogatives |