Passenger
/ˈpæs.ən.dʒər/noun
A person who travels in a vehicle, ship, or aircraft without operating it.
Did you know?Passenger comes through Old French from a Latin root meaning “to step” or “to go,” the same ancient walking-root behind several everyday English words about motion and pace.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pete-
“to fly, rush, or spread out”
Latin
Latin
passus
“a step; a pace”
Late Latin
Latin
passagium
“a passing; a journey, crossing”
Old French
Old French
passager
“a traveler; one who passes through”
Middle English
English
passager
“a traveler or one who goes by”
Modern English
English
passenger
“a person carried in a vehicle or vessel”