Where does “playboy” come from?
playboy (French) comes from French play-boy, from English playboy, from English play, from Middle English pleye, from Old English pleġa, from Proto-West Germanic plegō, from Proto-West Germanic -ō, from Proto-Germanic -ô — Derives nouns from roots.
playboy (French): Alternative spelling of play-boy
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of play-boy
Ancestry of “playboy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | play-boy | playboy |
| 2 | English | playboy | A single man, especially a wealthy one, who... |
| 3 | English | play | To act in a manner such that one has fun; to... |
| 4 | Middle English | pleye | Happiness, mirth, jolliness, or gaiety; Fun,... |
| 5 | Old English | pleġa | exercise |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | plegō | care; an exercise; a game |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | -ō | Creates adverbs from adjectives; Creates agent... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -ô | -ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |