Where does “copperbelly” come from?

copperbelly (English) comes from English belly, from Middle English bely, from Old English bielġ, from Proto-West Germanic *balgi, from Proto-Germanic balgiz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰelǵʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

copperbelly (English): A water snake, Nerodia erythrogaster

Definitions

  1. A water snake, Nerodia erythrogaster

Ancestry of “copperbelly”, step by step

copperbelly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English belly

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbellyThe abdomen, especially a fat one; The stomach;...
2Middle Englishbelybelly
3Old Englishbielġbag
4Proto-West Germanic*balgileather bag
5Proto-Germanicbalgizbag
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰelǵʰ-to swell
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-

via English copper

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcopperA reddish-brown, malleable, ductile metallic...
2EnglishcopTo capture or arrest someone
3Middle Englishcopsummit; top, tip, topmost part; top of the head,...
4Old Englishcop
5Proto-West Germanic*koppvessel, container, bowl
6Proto-Germanickuppazround object; orb; vessel; container; bowl;...
7Proto-Indo-Europeangup-round object, knoll
8Proto-Indo-Europeangew-to bend, curve, arch, buckle; to bend, to curve;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-