Where does “female tank” come from?

female tank (English) comes from English female, from Middle English female, from Middle English femelle, from Old French femelle, from Medieval Latin femella, from Latin femella, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

female tank (English): an armoured fighting vehicle on caterpillar...

Definitions

  1. an armoured fighting vehicle on caterpillar...

Ancestry of “female tank”, step by step

female tank traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English female

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfemaleBelonging to the sex which typically produces...
2Middle Englishfemale
3Middle Englishfemelle
4Old Frenchfemellefemale
5Medieval Latinfemellaa female; girl, young woman; vocative singular of...
6Latinfemellagirl, young woman; vocative singular of femella;...
7Latin-lusAlternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix
8Proto-Italic-elosForms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns
9Proto-Indo-European-e-lós
10Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

via English tank

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtankA closed container for liquids or gases; An open...
2Portuguesetanquetank; cistern; a sink used for laundry
3Gujaratiટાંકીcistern, underwater water reservour
4Prakrit𑀝𑀁𑀓
5Sanskritटङ्कfruit of {{taxlink|Feronia elephantum|species}};...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lósEvery word from Latin -lusEvery word from Latin femella
female tank — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer