Where does “蒸気機関車” come from?
蒸気機関車 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 機関車, from Japanese 車, from Middle Chinese 車 — cart, vehicle.
蒸気機関車 (Japanese): a steam locomotive
Definitions
- a steam locomotive
Ancestry of “蒸気機関車”, step by step
蒸気機関車 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 機関車
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 機関車 | locomotive |
| 2 | Japanese | 車 | a car, an automobile, a carriage, a cart; a... |
| 3 | Middle Chinese | 車 | cart, vehicle |
via Japanese 蒸気
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 蒸気 | vapor; vapour; steam |