Where does “bedbug” come from?
bedbug (English) comes from English bed, from Middle English bed, from Old English bedd, from Proto-West Germanic badi, from Persian بدی, from Persian بد, from Middle Persian 𐭯𐭥𐭭, from Proto-Iranian pati- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
bedbug (English): A small nocturnal insect pest of humans, of species Cimex lectularius (common bedbug) and Cimex hemipterus (tropical bedbug) that feeds on the blood of humans during sleep
Definitions
- A small nocturnal insect pest of humans, of species Cimex lectularius (common bedbug) and Cimex hemipterus (tropical bedbug) that feeds on the blood of humans during sleep
Ancestry of “bedbug”, step by step
bedbug traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bed | A piece of furniture, usually flat and soft, on... |
| 2 | Middle English | bed | A place of rest or sleep |
| 3 | Old English | bedd | bed |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | badi | bed |
| 5 | Persian | بدی | badness |
| 6 | Persian | بد | bad; not good; evil; poorly, badly |
| 7 | Middle Persian | 𐭯𐭥𐭭 | to; at; in |
| 8 | Proto-Iranian | pati- | against, toward; lord |
| 9 | Proto-Iranian | *rādi- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Iranian | *rād- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | HraHdʰ- | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |