Where does “fig-eater” come from?
fig-eater (English) comes from English eater, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
fig-eater (English): A large beetle which has elytra that are velvety...
Definitions
- A large beetle which has elytra that are velvety...
Ancestry of “fig-eater”, step by step
fig-eater traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English eater
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | eater | One who eats; An eating apple; One who performs... |
| 2 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 3 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 4 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 5 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English fig
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fig | A fruit-bearing tree or shrub of the genus... |
| 2 | Middle English | fige | A fig tree; A fig; A kind of boil or sore |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | figue | fig |
| 4 | Old French | figue | fig |
| 5 | Occitan | figa | fig |
| 6 | Old Occitan | figa | fig |
| 7 | Vulgar Latin | fica | fig; fig, fig-tree |
| 8 | Latin | ficus | fig tree; fig; hemorrhoids |
| 9 | Phoenician | ?? | Ripe fig |