Where does “ballast” come from?
ballast (German) comes from Russian балласт, from Dutch ballast, from Middle Dutch ballast.
Ancestry of “ballast”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Russian | балласт | ballast; dead weight |
| 2 | Dutch | ballast | ballast; baggage |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | ballast | — |