Where does “flaxweed” come from?
flaxweed (English) comes from English flax, from Middle English flax, from Old English fleax, from Proto-West Germanic flahs, from Proto-Germanic flahsą, from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European pel- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.
flaxweed (English): toadflax
Definitions
- toadflax
Ancestry of “flaxweed”, step by step
flaxweed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English flax
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flax | A plant of the genus "Linum", especially "Linum... |
| 2 | Middle English | flax | flax (Linum usitatissimum) or its fibres |
| 3 | Old English | fleax | linen, flax |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | flahs | flax |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | flahsą | flax |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pleḱ- | to fold, plait, weave |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |