Where does “gifslang” come from?
gifslang (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch gifslang, from Dutch Slang, from English slang, from English sling, from English spiderling, from English Ling, from Middle English ling, from Old Norse lyng — light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,...
gifslang (Afrikaans): venemous snake
Ancestry of “gifslang”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | gifslang | A venomous snake, poisonous serpent |
| 2 | Dutch | Slang | — |
| 3 | English | slang | Language outside of conventional usage and in the... |
| 4 | English | sling | To throw with a circular or arcing motion; To... |
| 5 | English | spiderling | An immature spider; Any of various herbaceous... |
| 6 | English | Ling | — |
| 7 | Middle English | ling | — |
| 8 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |