Where does “boomslang” come from?
boomslang (Dutch) comes from Dutch Slang, from English slang, from English sling, from English spiderling, from English Ling, from Middle English ling, from Old Norse lyng, from Proto-Germanic lingwą — light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,...
boomslang (Dutch): A boomslang
Definitions
- A boomslang
Ancestry of “boomslang”, step by step
boomslang traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch Slang
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | Slang | Serpens |
| 2 | English | slang | Language outside of conventional usage and in the... |
| 3 | English | sling | To throw with a circular or arcing motion; To... |
| 4 | English | spiderling | An immature spider; Any of various herbaceous... |
| 5 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 6 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 7 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |
via Dutch Boom
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | Boom | a Belgian town and municipality in the Flemish province of Antwerp |
| 2 | Dutch | bodem | bottom; soil, ground; earth surface |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | bodem | — |
| 4 | Old Dutch | *bodom | — |
| 5 | Old English | botm | bottom; foundation; ground; abyss |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | butmaz | bottom; foundation; ground; abyss |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰudʰmḗn | bottom |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewbʰ- | deep |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |