Where does “homme-mort” come from?

homme-mort (French) comes from French homme, from Middle French homme, from Old French home, from Latin homō, from Old Latin hemō, from Proto-Italic hemō, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰmṓ, from Proto-Indo-European dʰéǵʰōm.

homme-mort (French): dead man's switch

Definitions

  1. dead man's switch

Ancestry of “homme-mort”, step by step

homme-mort traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French homme

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchhommeman; man, Man
2Middle Frenchhommeman
3Old Frenchhomeman; vassal; manservant
4Latinhomōhuman, person, man
5Old Latinhemō
6Proto-Italichemōman
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰmṓearthling
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰéǵʰōmearth
9Proto-Indo-European-ōmemphatic suffix or postpositive particle
10Proto-Indo-European-mi

via French mort

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmortpast participle of mourir; dead; death
2Middle Frenchmortdeath
3Old Frenchmortpast participle of morir; dead; death
4Vulgar Latinmortus
5Latinmortuusdead, having died; decayed, withered; faint,...
6Proto-Italicmortwosdead
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmr̥twósdead
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -miEvery word from Proto-Indo-European -ōmEvery word from Proto-Indo-European dʰéǵʰōm