Where does “damselfish” come from?
damselfish (English) comes from English damsel, from French demoiselle, from Old French damoisele, from Vulgar Latin domnicella, from Latin domina, from Latin Dominus, from Latin domus, from Proto-Italic domos — to build; to arrange, to put together.
damselfish (English): Any of a number of fish in the Pomacentridae...
Definitions
- Any of a number of fish in the Pomacentridae...
Ancestry of “damselfish”, step by step
damselfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English damsel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | damsel | A young woman; A girl; a maiden; A young woman... |
| 2 | French | demoiselle | damsel, maiden; miss; damselfly |
| 3 | Old French | damoisele | girl; young lady |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | domnicella | weasel; little maiden; damsel, maiden |
| 5 | Latin | domina | lady or mistress of the house |
| 6 | Latin | Dominus | the Lord; Lord; The Lord |
| 7 | Latin | domus | house, home; any building or abode; native place,... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | domos | house, home |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dṓm | home; house |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dem- | to build; to arrange, to put together |
via English Fish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 2 | Old English | fiscian | to fish |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fiskōn | to fish, to catch fish |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fiskōną | to fish, to catch fish |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |