Derrick
/ˈdɛrɪk/noun
A lifting device with a pivoted arm used for hoisting heavy loads, especially on ships or at construction sites.
Did you know?The name became associated with the gallows because of a famous English hangman named Derrick, and that grim reputation likely helped the word attach to a lifting apparatus.
Etymological Timeline
Early 17th Century
English
derrick
“a gallows or hangman’s apparatus, later extended to a hoisting device”
16th–17th Century
English
Derrick
“a personal name and byname, especially associated with a notorious hangman”
Middle Dutch
Dutch
Diederik
“a personal name meaning roughly 'ruler of the people'”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þeudō-rīkijaz
“'people-ruler' or 'ruler of the people'”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tewtéh₂
“'tribe, people'”