Where does “clamdigger” come from?
clamdigger (English) comes from English clam, from Middle English clam, from Old English clām, from Proto-West Germanic *klaim, from Proto-Germanic klaimaz, from Proto-Indo-European gleh₁y-, from Proto-Indo-European gleh₁-, from Proto-Indo-European gewl- — to bend, arch.
clamdigger (English): One who digs for clams
Definitions
- One who digs for clams
Ancestry of “clamdigger”, step by step
clamdigger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English clam
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | clam | A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those... |
| 2 | Middle English | clam | pincers, vice, clamp; viscous, sticky; slimy |
| 3 | Old English | clām | clay, mud; paste, mortar, mud, clay, poultice |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *klaim | clay, mortar |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | klaimaz | clay, mortar |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gleh₁y- | to smear, putty; to stick, glue |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gleh₁- | ball, lump |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gewl- | vessel; ball; vessel, bowl, ball; ball, bowl,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gēw- | to bend, arch |
via English Digger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Digger | A soldier from Australia or New Zealand; One of a... |
| 2 | Middle English | dyggar | digger |
| 3 | Middle English | -ere | er |
| 4 | Old English | -ere | masculine agent suffix, originally applied only... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 7 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |