Where does “firetrail” come from?
firetrail (English) comes from English fire, from Middle English fier, from Old English fȳr, from Old English feor, from Proto-Germanic ferrai, from Proto-Indo-European per-nóy, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.
Ancestry of “firetrail”, step by step
firetrail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fire
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fire | A chemical reaction involving the bonding of... |
| 2 | Middle English | fier | Alternative form of figer |
| 3 | Old English | fȳr | fire |
| 4 | Old English | feor | Alternative form of feorr; far |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English trail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | trail | To follow behind (someone or something); to tail (someone or something) |
| 2 | Middle English | trailen | to hang loosely, drag along, drag away |
| 3 | Old French | trailler | to tow; pick up the scent of a quarry |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | tragulare | to drag |
| 5 | Latin | trāgula | a javelin or dart having a throwing-strap (āmentum) |