Where does “checkerspot” come from?

checkerspot (English) comes from English checker, from English check, from English chequer, from Old French eschequier, from Medieval Latin scaccarium, from Vulgar Latin scaccus, from Arabic شَاه, from Persian شاه — to sire, beget.

checkerspot (English): Any of a group of butterflies of the subfamily...

Definitions

  1. Any of a group of butterflies of the subfamily...

Ancestry of “checkerspot”, step by step

checkerspot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English checker

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcheckerOne who checks or verifies something; One who...
2EnglishcheckA situation in which the king is directly...
3EnglishchequerThe edible fruit of the wild service tree,...
4Old Frencheschequierexchequer
5Medieval Latinscaccariumchess board; chessboard; exchequer
6Vulgar Latinscaccuschess
7Arabicشَاهking in chess; king; king or check at chess, shah
8Persianشاهking; shah; king; Something that is the biggest...
9Middle Persian𐭬𐭫𐭪𐭠king
10Old Persian𐏋king
11Proto-Iranianxšáyati
12Proto-Indo-Iraniankšáyatihe rules, he has power over
13Proto-Indo-Europeanteḱ-to sire, beget

via English spot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspotA round or irregular patch on the surface of a...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European teḱ-Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian kšáyatiEvery word from Proto-Iranian xšáyati