Where does “pointer” come from?
pointer (French) comes from English pointer, from English point, from Middle English point, from Old French point, from Latin pūnctum, from Latin punctus, from Latin -tus, from Proto-Italic -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.
pointer (French): to point to/at; to indicate, to show, to point...
Definitions
- to point to/at; to indicate, to show, to point...
Ancestry of “pointer”, step by step
pointer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pointer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pointer | Anything that points or is used for pointing; A... |
| 2 | English | point | A discrete division of something; A sharp... |
| 3 | Middle English | point | — |
| 4 | Old French | point | a sting; a prick; moment; time; dot |
| 5 | Latin | pūnctum | point |
| 6 | Latin | punctus | pricked, punctured, pierced, having been pricked;... |
| 7 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |