Where does “screw” come from?
screw (Middle English) comes from Old French escroue, from Latin scrofa, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.
Ancestry of “screw”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | escroue | nut, cylindrical socket, screwhole; scroll, strip... |
| 2 | Latin | scrofa | sow |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kerbʰ- | to turn, curve; to turn , wind; to turn around,... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
Words derived from “screw”