Where does “deerfly” come from?
deerfly (English) comes from English fly, from Middle English flien, from Old English flēogan, from Old English -ende, from Proto-West Germanic *-andī, from Proto-Germanic -andz, from Proto-Indo-European -ónts, from Hungarian önt — sound, voice.
deerfly (English): Any of various species of fly which feed on deer,...
Definitions
- Any of various species of fly which feed on deer,...
Ancestry of “deerfly”, step by step
deerfly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fly
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fly | Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by... |
| 2 | Middle English | flien | To fly; to travel in the air; To move in the sky;... |
| 3 | Old English | flēogan | to fly |
| 4 | Old English | -ende | equivalent of English -ing; suffix for present... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *-andī | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -andz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ónts | Derives nouns denoting body parts |
| 8 | Hungarian | önt | to pour; to cast; accusative singular of ön |
| 9 | Hungarian | ön | you |
| 10 | Hungarian | ön- | self- |
| 11 | Turkish | ön | front |
| 12 | Ottoman Turkish | اوك | voice (of human or animal); sound |
| 13 | Proto-Turkic | ǖn | sound, voice |
via English deer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | deer | a ruminant mammal with antlers and hooves of the... |
| 2 | Middle English | der | A wild animal especially a mammal or quadruped |
| 3 | Old English | dēor | animal, beast |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | deuʀ | animal, beast |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | deuzą | animal, beast |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewsóm | living thing |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰéws | breath |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰwes- | to breathe; breath; spirit, soul > creature |