Where does “dustmote” come from?
dustmote (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.
dustmote (English): A mote or speck of dust
Definitions
- A mote or speck of dust
Ancestry of “dustmote”, step by step
dustmote traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English dust
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dust | Fine particles; The act of cleaning by dusting;... |
| 2 | German | dust | — |
| 3 | Middle Low German | dust | — |
| 4 | Old French | joste | joust |
| 5 | Latin | juxta | Alternative form of iū̆xtā; near to, nigh |
| 6 | Latin | iuxta | nearly; near, close to; just as |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | jougestād | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | jougestos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | jougos | yoked animals, team |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yéwgos | team, pair of yoked animals |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | yewg- | to join, to yoke, to tie together |
via English mote
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mote | A small particle; a speck; May or might; Must |
| 2 | English | motte | A raised earth mound, often topped with a wooden... |
| 3 | French | motte | motte; clod, lump of earth; block |
| 4 | Old French | mote | mound, embankment |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | mota | a mound, hill; nominative feminine singular of... |
| 6 | Frankish | *mot | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *motta | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | mutô | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mut- | dark, dirty |