Where does “earache” come from?
earache (English) comes from English ache, from Middle English ache, from Old French ache, from Latin apium, from Latin Apis, from Ancient Greek Ἄπις, from Coptic ϩⲁⲡⲉ, from Egyptian ḥp — the god Apis.
earache (English): A pain in the middle or inner ear
Definitions
- A pain in the middle or inner ear
Ancestry of “earache”, step by step
earache traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ache
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ache | To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in,... |
| 2 | Middle English | ache | Aching; long-lasting hurting or injury; A plant... |
| 3 | Old French | ache | — |
| 4 | Latin | apium | parsley; celery; genitive plural of apis |
| 5 | Latin | Apis | A seaport town of Egypt situated at the borders with Marmarica |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Ἄπις | — |
| 7 | Coptic | ϩⲁⲡⲉ | the Apis bull, a bull worshipped as a herald of the gods (first Ptah, then Osiris, then Atum) |
| 8 | Egyptian | ḥp | the god Apis |
via English ear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ear | The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna,... |
| 2 | Middle English | ēre | The ear organ that receives sound |
| 3 | Old English | ēare | ear |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | auʀā | ear |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ausô | ear |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ṓws | ear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ew- | to enjoy; to consume; to perceive, see, to be... |