Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. A highly venomous snake found in sub-Saharan...

Ancestry of “boomslang”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Afrikaansboomslang—
2DutchboomslangA boomslang
3DutchSlang—
4EnglishslangLanguage outside of conventional usage and in the...
5EnglishslingTo throw with a circular or arcing motion; To...
6EnglishspiderlingAn immature spider; Any of various herbaceous...
7EnglishLing—
8Middle Englishling—
9Old Norselyngheather, ling
10Proto-Germaniclingwąheather, ling
11Proto-Indo-Europeanlengʷʰom—
12Proto-Indo-Europeanlengʷʰ-light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lengʷʰ- →