Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. lead shot used in shotgun cartridges

Ancestry of “buckshot”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbuckA male deer, antelope, sheep, goat, rabbit, hare,...
2Middle Englishbukkemale goat; male deer or roe
3Old Englishbūcbelly, stomach; belly, stomach, pitcher; belly,...
4Proto-West Germanic*būk—
5Proto-Germanicbūkazbelly, abdomen; body
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōw-to inflate, swell; to swell, grow, thrive, be,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōw- →