Where does “cottontail” come from?
cottontail (English) comes from English Cotton, from Middle English cotoun, from Anglo-Norman cotun, from Middle English coton, from Old French cotoun, from Italian cotone, from Arabic قُطُن, from Arabic قُطْن — cotton.
cottontail (English): A rabbit of any of various species in genus...
Definitions
- A rabbit of any of various species in genus...
Ancestry of “cottontail”, step by step
cottontail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Cotton
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Cotton | The name of several settlements around the world |
| 2 | Middle English | cotoun | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | cotun | — |
| 4 | Middle English | coton | cotton fiber of |
| 5 | Old French | cotoun | cotton; a piece of cotton |
| 6 | Italian | cotone | cotton; cotton wool |
| 7 | Arabic | قُطُن | — |
| 8 | Arabic | قُطْن | cotton |
via English Tail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Tail | A Chinese constellation coinciding with the tail of Scorpius, one of the 28 lunar mansions and the tail of Azure Dragon |
| 2 | Middle English | tayl | A tail; The back side or reverse of a creature; A... |
| 3 | Old English | tæġl | tail |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | taglą | hair; ponytail; hair of a tail; tail |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | doḱ- | hair of the tail |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | deḱ- | take; perceive |