English
groundbreaker
From ground + breaker.
A compound of ground + breaker
Proto-Indo-European *gʰrem- ‘floor, settlement’
Proto-Germanic *grunduz ‘ground, foundation’
Proto-West Germanic *grundu
Old English grund
Middle English ground
English ground
Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- ‘to break’
…
Proto-West Germanic *brekan ‘to break’
Old English brecan ‘to break’
Middle English breken ‘to break’
Middle English brekere ‘a transgressor or violator’
English breaker
Today it means
noun First person to do, make or fight for something. A pioneer; a seminal person.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / groundbreaker