Where does “tweeling” come from?
tweeling (Afrikaans) comes from Dutch tweeling, from Middle Dutch twiling, from Old Dutch twinling, from Proto-Germanic twinilingaz, from Proto-Germanic -ilingaz, from Proto-Germanic -ilaz, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
tweeling (Afrikaans): twin
Ancestry of “tweeling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | tweeling | A pair of twins; said of people and other... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | twiling | — |
| 3 | Old Dutch | twinling | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | twinilingaz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ilingaz | Forms noun-derivatives with sense of 'belonging... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ilaz | agent suffix; diminutive suffix |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |