Where does “copperous” come from?
copperous (English) comes from English ous, from English ou, from Afrikaans ou, from Dutch oud, from Middle Dutch out, from Old Dutch ald, from Proto-West Germanic ald, from Proto-Germanic aldaz — to grow, nourish.
Ancestry of “copperous”, step by step
copperous traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ous
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ous | plural of ou |
| 2 | English | ou | A probably extinct species of Hawaiian... |
| 3 | Afrikaans | ou | An old fellow, guy, bloke; attributive form of... |
| 4 | Dutch | oud | old |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | out | old |
| 6 | Old Dutch | ald | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | ald | old |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | aldaz | old, grown up |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eltós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | to grow, nourish |
via English copper
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | copper | A reddish-brown, malleable, ductile metallic... |
| 2 | English | cop | To capture or arrest someone |
| 3 | Middle English | cop | summit; top, tip, topmost part; top of the head,... |
| 4 | Old English | cop | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *kopp | vessel, container, bowl |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kuppaz | round object; orb; vessel; container; bowl;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gup- | round object, knoll |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gew- | to bend, curve, arch, buckle; to bend, to curve;... |