Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dustball” come from?

dustball (English) comes from English dust, from German dust, from Middle Low German dust, from Old French joste, from Latin juxta, from Latin iuxta, from Proto-Italic jougestād, from Proto-Italic jougestos — to join, to yoke, to tie together.

dustball (English): A ball of dust; A disease of horses, in which...

Definitions

  1. A ball of dust; A disease of horses, in which...

Ancestry of “dustball”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdustFine particles; The act of cleaning by dusting;...
2Germandust—
3Middle Low Germandust—
4Old Frenchjostejoust
5LatinjuxtaAlternative form of iū̆xtā; near to, nigh
6Latiniuxtanearly; near, close to; just as
7Proto-Italicjougestād—
8Proto-Italicjougestos—
9Proto-Italicjougosyoked animals, team
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyéwgosteam, pair of yoked animals
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyewg-to join, to yoke, to tie together
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yewg- →