Where does “carpenter ant” come from?
carpenter ant (English) comes from English ȧnt, from Middle English ampte, from Old English ǣmete, from Proto-West Germanic āmaitijā, from Proto-West Germanic uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic uz-, from Proto-Indo-European uss-, from Proto-Indo-European uds- — out, outward.
carpenter ant (English): Any of several large ants, of the genus Camponotus, found in North America and northern China, that build nests in dead wood
Definitions
- Any of several large ants, of the genus Camponotus, found in North America and northern China, that build nests in dead wood
Ancestry of “carpenter ant”, step by step
carpenter ant traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ȧnt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ȧnt | — |
| 2 | Middle English | ampte | An ant; a formicid; A mantid |
| 3 | Old English | ǣmete | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | āmaitijā | ant |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | uʀ- | out, over; off, away |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |
via English carpenter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | carpenter | A person skilled at carpentry, the trade of... |
| 2 | Middle English | carpenter | carpenter |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | carpenter | Alternative form of charpantier |
| 4 | Late Latin | carpentarius | carpenter; a carpenter; wagon, carriage |
| 5 | Latin | carpentārius | wagon(s), carriage(s) |
| 6 | Latin | carpentum | carriage (two-wheeled); chariot |
| 7 | Gaulish | carbantos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | karbantos | chariot; wagon |