Where does “chameleon-like” come from?
chameleon-like (English) comes from English chameleon, from Middle English camelion, from Old French cameleon, from Latin chamaeleon, from Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων, from Ancient Greek χαμαί, from Ancient Greek Χθών, from Proto-Indo-European dʰéǵʰōm.
Ancestry of “chameleon-like”, step by step
chameleon-like traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English chameleon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | chameleon | A small to mid-size reptile, of the family... |
| 2 | Middle English | camelion | — |
| 3 | Old French | cameleon | — |
| 4 | Latin | chamaeleon | chameleon; carline thistle |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | χαμαιλέων | chameleon; type of plant, so called because of... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | χαμαί | on the earth, near the ground; to the... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | Χθών | the Earth, personified as a goddess |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰéǵʰōm | earth |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ōm | emphatic suffix or postpositive particle |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -mi | — |
via English like
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | like | To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of;... |
| 2 | Dutch | luik | hatch; shutter; panel, as in a triptych |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | luke | — |
| 4 | Dutch | luiken | to close, to shut |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | luken | to close, to shut; to close, to become closed |
| 6 | Old Dutch | lūcan | to close, shut |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | lūkan | to close, to shut |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | lūkaną | to close, to shut; Alternative form of *leukaną |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewǵ- | to break, tear; to break, shatter |