Where does “地下鉄道” come from?
地下鉄道 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 鉄道, from German Eisenbahn, from German Bahn, from Middle High German ban, from Old High German bana, from Proto-West Germanic *banu, from Proto-Germanic banō, from Proto-Germanic banô.
地下鉄道 (Japanese): rapid transit, metro; (AmE) subway; (BrE) underground; (BrE) tube (abbr. 地下鉄)
Definitions
- rapid transit, metro; (AmE) subway; (BrE) underground; (BrE) tube (abbr. 地下鉄)
Ancestry of “地下鉄道”, step by step
地下鉄道 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 鉄道
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 鉄道 | railway |
| 2 | German | Eisenbahn | railway, railroad; train |
| 3 | German | Bahn | route, trail; rail transport; tram, train;... |
| 4 | Middle High German | ban | — |
| 5 | Old High German | bana | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *banu | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | banō | a battlefield; a clearing; open space; a cleared... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | banô | murderer |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰon-on- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |