Etymology

motorman

M3O1T1O1R1M3A1N1

Today it means: A man who controls a motor. Full definition →

Middle English man ← Old English mann ← Proto-West Germanic *mann
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)ewh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*m(y)owh₁éyeti
  3. Proto-Italic*moweō
  4. Latinmoveō
  5. Latinmōtor
  6. Middle Englishmotour
  7. Englishmotor
  8. Proto-Indo-European*mon-
  9. Proto-Germanic*mann-
  10. Proto-West Germanic*mann
  11. Old Englishmann
  12. Middle Englishman
  13. English todaymotorman

From motor + -man.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.