Where does “daddy longlegs” come from?
daddy longlegs (English) comes from English daddy, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
daddy longlegs (English): The cranefly; any insect of the suborder...
Definitions
- The cranefly; any insect of the suborder...
Ancestry of “daddy longlegs”, step by step
daddy longlegs traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English daddy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | daddy | Father; A male lover; An informal term of address... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via English longlegs
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | longlegs | A daddy longlegs |