Where does “driftling” come from?
driftling (English) comes from English drift, from Middle English drift, from Old English drift, from Proto-Germanic driftiz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰreybʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰer- — to support; to hold.
driftling (English): One who is carried about, drifts, or wanders...
Definitions
- One who is carried about, drifts, or wanders...
Ancestry of “driftling”, step by step
driftling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English drift
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | drift | Movement; that which moves or is moved; The act... |
| 2 | Middle English | drift | — |
| 3 | Old English | drift | an act of driving (cattle, herds, etc.); movement |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | driftiz | driving |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰreybʰ- | to drive, push |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |