Where does “cornstalk” come from?
cornstalk (English) comes from English corn, from Middle English corn, from Old English corn, from Proto-West Germanic korn, from Proto-Germanic kurną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nóm, from Proto-Indo-European ǵr̥h₂nós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.
cornstalk (English): The tough, fibrous stalk of a corn plant, often...
Definitions
- The tough, fibrous stalk of a corn plant, often...
Ancestry of “cornstalk”, step by step
cornstalk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English corn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | corn | The main cereal plant grown for its grain in a... |
| 2 | Middle English | corn | Any plant that bears grain, especially wheat; a... |
| 3 | Old English | corn | corn, a grain or seed; a cornlike pimple, a corn... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | korn | corn, grain, cereal |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kurną | corn, grain, cereal |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nóm | grain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nós | matured, grown old |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |
via English stalk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stalk | The stem or main axis of a plant, which supports... |
| 2 | Middle English | stalken | to stalk |
| 3 | Old English | stealcian | to stalk |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | stalkaz | high, lofty, steep, stiff |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tAlg- / -e- | to jut out, protrude |