Where does “breastfeeding” come from?
breastfeeding (English) comes from English feeding, from English feed, from Galician feden, from Old English fēdan, from Proto-West Germanic *fōdijan, from Proto-Germanic fōdijaną, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.
breastfeeding (English): The activity of feeding a baby or young child...
Definitions
- The activity of feeding a baby or young child...
Ancestry of “breastfeeding”, step by step
breastfeeding traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English feeding
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | feeding | present participle of feed; An instance of giving... |
| 2 | English | feed | To give food to eat; To eat; To give to as... |
| 3 | Galician | feden | third-person plural present indicative of feder |
| 4 | Old English | fēdan | to feed |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *fōdijan | to feed |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fōdijaną | to feed; to give birth |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂- | to protect; to shepherd |
via English breast
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | breast | Either of the two organs on the front of a female... |
| 2 | Middle English | brest | chest, thorax; The breast in several contexts;... |
| 3 | Old English | brēost | chest |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | breust | breast, chest |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | breustą | breast, chest |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrews- | to break |