Where does “anthills” come from?
anthills (English) comes from English anthill, from English ȧnt, from Middle English ampte, from Old English ǣmete, from Proto-West Germanic āmaitijā, from Proto-West Germanic uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic uz-, from Proto-Indo-European uss- — out, outward.
anthills (English): plural of anthill
Ancestry of “anthills”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | anthill | A cone-shaped formation constructed from sediment... |
| 2 | English | ȧnt | — |
| 3 | Middle English | ampte | An ant; a formicid; A mantid |
| 4 | Old English | ǣmete | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | āmaitijā | ant |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | uʀ- | out, over; off, away |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |