Etymograph

English

button

Button comes from Old French bouter ‘to push’, from Frankish *bōtan ‘to beat’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bautaną.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bautaną‘to beat’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bautan‘to beat’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*bōtan‘to beat’reconstructed
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bouter‘to push’
  5. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400boton
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1613–1614button

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*bautaną‘to beat’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*bautan‘to beat’reconstructed
  3. Frankishc. 250–700*bōtan‘to beat’reconstructed
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bouter‘to push’
  5. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400boton
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1613–1614button

Earliest quotation: c. 1613–1614, William Shakespeare, John Fletcher: “O queen Emilia, / Fresher than May, sweeter /…”

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *bautaną ‘to beat, knock, bump, push’

boss, beetle, buttress, 5 more

through Proto-West Germanic *bautan ‘to beat’

beat, bouton, 3 more

through Old French bouter ‘to push’

rebut, 1 more

Another origin of button

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400boutoner
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500botonenas butonen‘to give or attach buttons to clothing’
  3. Englishtodaybutton

Today it means

noun A knob or disc that is passed through a loop or (buttonhole), serving as a fastener.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *bautaną / button

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