Where does “brittlestem” come from?
brittlestem (English) comes from English brittle, from English -le, from Middle English -el, from Old French -el, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
brittlestem (English): A plant of the genus "Psathyrotes" of annual and...
Definitions
- A plant of the genus "Psathyrotes" of annual and...
Ancestry of “brittlestem”, step by step
brittlestem traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English brittle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | brittle | Inflexible, liable to break or snap easily under... |
| 2 | English | -le | A frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating... |
| 3 | Middle English | -el | — |
| 4 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 5 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 6 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English stem
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stem | The stock of a family; a race or generation of... |
| 2 | English | femme | A woman, a wife; a young woman or girl; A... |
| 3 | French | femme | woman; wife; Alternative form of fem |
| 4 | Middle French | femme | wife; woman |
| 5 | Old French | fame | wife, female partner; woman |
| 6 | Latin | fēmina | woman |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | fēmanā | woman |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂ | who sucks; one who is sucked; one who suckles;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁(y)- | to suckle, nurse |