• morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de
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    2 days ago

    it would seem like that because the words are the same, but in the locution “en train de [verbe]”, en train has the 15th century meaning of “in action”, “in movement”, this predates the invention of the railroad :)

    • JayDee@lemmy.sdf.org
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      2 days ago

      Wait, woah, so the term ‘train’ is from the French word for ‘action’ or ‘motion’, essentially? That’s kind of a dub.

      • morgunkorn@discuss.tchncs.de
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        2 days ago

        originally, as a noun, “le train” is “the going motion” of a horse, a human, it’s still used in “arrière-train” to designate the back legs of a quadrupède. “Aller de bon train” = to walk briskly.

        In automotive, the “train avant” and “train arrière” are the front and rear axles.

        There are other expressions like “le train-train quotidien”, meaning the daily grind.