Where does “calfling” come from?
calfling (English) comes from English calf, from Middle English calf, from Old English ċealf, from Proto-West Germanic kalb, from Proto-Germanic kalbaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷolbʰo — womb, animal young.
calfling (English): A small, young, or miniature calf
Definitions
- A small, young, or miniature calf
Ancestry of “calfling”, step by step
calfling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English calf
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | calf | A young cow or bull; Leather made of the skin of... |
| 2 | Middle English | calf | calf; A representation of a calf; something that... |
| 3 | Old English | ċealf | calf (young cow) |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | kalb | calf |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kalbaz | calf |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷolbʰo | womb, animal young |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |