Where does “butterflyfish” come from?
butterflyfish (English) comes from English Butterfly, from Middle English boterflye, from Old English buterflēoge, from Old English butere, from Proto-West Germanic buterā, from Latin būtȳrum, from Ancient Greek βούτυρον, from Ancient Greek τυρός — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.
butterflyfish (English): Any of a group of conspicuous tropical marine...
Definitions
- Any of a group of conspicuous tropical marine...
Ancestry of “butterflyfish”, step by step
butterflyfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Butterfly
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Butterfly | A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring |
| 2 | Middle English | boterflye | butterfly; Something of little import or value; A... |
| 3 | Old English | buterflēoge | butterfly |
| 4 | Old English | butere | butter |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | buterā | butter |
| 6 | Latin | būtȳrum | butter |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | βούτυρον | butter |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | τυρός | cheese |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | tūrós | cheese |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | tuh₂-ró-s | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |
via English Fish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 2 | Old English | fiscian | to fish |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fiskōn | to fish, to catch fish |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fiskōną | to fish, to catch fish |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |