Where does “figurehead” come from?
figurehead (English) comes from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
figurehead (English): A carved figure on the prow of a sailing ship;...
Definitions
- A carved figure on the prow of a sailing ship;...
Ancestry of “figurehead”, step by step
figurehead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via English figure
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | figure | A drawing or diagram conveying information; The... |
| 2 | Middle English | figure | shape, form, appearance |
| 3 | Old French | figure | — |
| 4 | Latin | figūra | shape, form, figure |
| 5 | Latin | fingō | to shape, fashion, form, knead (dough) |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeyǵʰ- | to knead; to form, to shape |