Where does “ants” come from?
Ants comes from Middle English amte, Old English ǣmette, Proto-West Germanic āmaitijā, Proto-Germanic maitaną, and Proto-Indo-European mai-, a root of uncertain meaning.
ants (English): plural of ant; Third-person singular simple...
Definitions
- plural of ant; Third-person singular simple...
Ancestry of “ants”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ant | Any of various insects in the family Formicidae... |
| 2 | Middle English | amte | Alternative form of ampte |
| 3 | Old English | ǣmette | ant |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | āmaitijā | ant |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | uʀ- | out, over; off, away |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |