Where does “Lamb” come from?
Lamb (English) comes from French agneau, from Old French agnel, from Latin agnellus, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
Lamb (English): OS grid ref NT5386
Definitions
- OS grid ref NT5386
Ancestry of “Lamb”, step by step
Lamb traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French agneau
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | agneau | lamb; lambskin |
| 2 | Old French | agnel | — |
| 3 | Latin | agnellus | a little lamb, lambkin |
| 4 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 5 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |