Where does “Portuguese man-of-war” come from?
Portuguese man-of-war (English) comes from English Portuguese, from Portuguese português, from Old Portuguese portugaes, from Late Latin portucalensis, from Latin Portucale, from Latin Portus Cale, from Latin Portus, from Proto-Italic portus — passed , crossed.
Portuguese man-of-war (English): Physalia physalis, a marine cnidarian consisting of a floating colony of hydrozoans attached to a float, superficially resembling a jellyfish
Definitions
- Physalia physalis, a marine cnidarian consisting of a floating colony of hydrozoans attached to a float, superficially resembling a jellyfish
Ancestry of “Portuguese man-of-war”, step by step
Portuguese man-of-war traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Portuguese
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Portuguese | Of or pertaining to the region of Portugal; Of or... |
| 2 | Portuguese | português | Portuguese; Portuguese person; Portuguese... |
| 3 | Old Portuguese | portugaes | Portuguese; a Portuguese person |
| 4 | Late Latin | portucalensis | — |
| 5 | Latin | Portucale | Portugal |
| 6 | Latin | Portus Cale | Oporto |
| 7 | Latin | Portus | ” or, later, “Portus Rōmae”}} Portus large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | portus | harbour |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English man-of-war
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | man-of-war | Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic... |