Where does “arrow slit” come from?
arrow slit (English) comes from English arrow, from Middle English ārwe, from Old English arwe, from Proto-West Germanic *arhu, from Proto-Germanic arhwō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂érkʷo- — bow, arrow.
Ancestry of “arrow slit”, step by step
arrow slit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English arrow
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | arrow | A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a... |
| 2 | Middle English | ārwe | An arrow projectile weapon shot from a bow |
| 3 | Old English | arwe | arrow |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *arhu | arrow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | arhwō | arrow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂érkʷo- | bow, arrow |
via English slit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | slit | A narrow cut or opening; a slot; The opening of... |
| 2 | English | slitten | past participle of slit |
| 3 | Old English | slītan | to slit, tear, rend, shiver, split, rend to... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | slītan | to tear apart |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | slītaną | to tear apart |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sleyd- | — |