Etymology

vaporware

va·por·ware
V4A1P3O1R1W4A1R1E1

Today it means: An advertised product, often computer software, the launch of which has not happened yet and might not ever happen. Full definition →

English softwarebf. ← Middle English ware ← Old English waru
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Proto-Italic*kwapōs
  2. Latinvapor
  3. Old Frenchvapeur
  4. Old Frenchvapor
  5. Middle Englishvapour
  6. Englishvapor
  7. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  8. Proto-Germanic*samþuz /*samftuz
  9. Proto-West Germanic*samft(ī)
  10. Old Englishsōfte
  11. Middle Englishsofte
  12. Englishsoft
  13. Proto-Germanic*warō
  14. Proto-West Germanic*waru
  15. Old Englishwaru
  16. Middle Englishware
  17. Englishsoftwarebf.
  18. English todayvaporware

From vapor + -ware.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.