Where does “crossbones” come from?
crossbones (English) comes from English cross, from French croix, from German Kreuz, from Spanish Cruz, from Portuguese cruz, from Italian croce, from Latin crux, from Proto-Italic *kruks — to caw, crow.
crossbones (English): A representation of two bones crossed diagonally,...
Definitions
- A representation of two bones crossed diagonally,...
Ancestry of “crossbones”, step by step
crossbones traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cross
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cross | A geometrical figure consisting of two straight... |
| 2 | French | croix | cross; a representation of a cross; the cross as... |
| 3 | German | Kreuz | cross; clubs; sharp |
| 4 | Spanish | Cruz | cross |
| 5 | Portuguese | cruz | cross |
| 6 | Italian | croce | cross |
| 7 | Latin | crux | wooden frame on which criminals were crucified,... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *kruks | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |
via English bones
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bones | plural of bone; A percussive folk musical... |
| 2 | English | bone | A composite material consisting largely of... |
| 3 | Middle English | bon | bone |
| 4 | Old English | bān | bone, tusk; the bone of a limb |
| 5 | Arabic | بان | to separate, to become distinct, to sunder; to be... |
| 6 | Ottoman Turkish | بان | ban; keeper, tender, ward; ben tree, horseradish... |
| 7 | Ottoman Turkish | باڭ | — |
| 8 | Persian | بنگ | hashish, narcotic made from "Cannabis sativa";... |
| 9 | Middle Persian | 𐭡𐭭𐭢 | henbane |