Where does “ferret” come from?
Ferret derives from Italian fioretto, diminutive of fiore from Latin florem, accusative of flos meaning flower, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-.
ferret (English): An often domesticated mammal rather like a...
Definitions
- An often domesticated mammal rather like a...
Ancestry of “ferret”, step by step
ferret traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian fioretto
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | fioretto | Ssall, devotional sacrifice; good deed; foil |
| 2 | Italian | fiore | flower, bloom, blossom; surface; pl clubs |
| 3 | Latin | flōrem | — |
| 4 | Latin | flōs | flower, blossom |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | flōs | flower, blossom |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃-s | flower, blossom |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |