Where does “buckshot” come from?
Buckshot comes from English buck, from Middle Dutch bucken, from Old English bucc, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰōw- and bʰuǵ-.
buckshot (English): lead shot used in shotgun cartridges
Definitions
- lead shot used in shotgun cartridges
Ancestry of “buckshot”, step by step
buckshot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English buck
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | buck | A male deer, antelope, sheep, goat, rabbit, hare,... |
| 2 | Middle English | bukke | male goat; male deer or roe |
| 3 | Old English | būc | belly, stomach; belly, stomach, pitcher; belly,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *būk | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | būkaz | belly, abdomen; body |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōw- | to inflate, swell; to swell, grow, thrive, be,... |
via English shot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shot | Worn out or broken; Woven from warp and weft... |
| 2 | Middle English | schot | A missile or projectile; a thrown or fired weapon |
| 3 | Old English | Scot | shot, act of shooting |
| 4 | Old Norse | skot | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skutą | shot |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewd- | to advance, push; to drive, propel |