Where does “boomslang” come from?
boomslang (English) comes from Afrikaans boomslang, from Dutch boomslang, from Dutch Slang, from English slang, from English sling, from English spiderling, from English Ling, from Middle English ling — light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,...
boomslang (English): A highly venomous snake found in sub-Saharan...
Definitions
- A highly venomous snake found in sub-Saharan...
Ancestry of “boomslang”, step by step
boomslang traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Afrikaans boomslang
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | boomslang | boomslang |
| 2 | Dutch | boomslang | A boomslang |
| 3 | Dutch | Slang | Serpens |
| 4 | English | slang | Language outside of conventional usage and in the... |
| 5 | English | sling | To throw with a circular or arcing motion; To... |
| 6 | English | spiderling | An immature spider; Any of various herbaceous... |
| 7 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 8 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 9 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |
via Afrikaans braai
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afrikaans | braai | To grill meat over an open flame; A barbecue; An... |
| 2 | Dutch | braden | to roast; to grill; to pan-fry |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | brâden | to roast, to broil |
| 4 | Old Dutch | brādan | to roast |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | brādan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | brēdaną | to warm, heat, broil; to roast |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrewh₁- | to boil; to brew |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |