Where does “fledgling” come from?
Fledgling comes from Middle English -ling, Old English -ling and -a, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European plewk-, plew-, -elo-, and -lós.
fledgling (English): Untried or inexperienced; Emergent or rising; A...
Definitions
- Untried or inexperienced; Emergent or rising; A...
Ancestry of “fledgling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ling | small, immature, miniature; follower or resident;... |
| 2 | Middle English | -ling | — |
| 3 | Old English | -ling | adverbial suffix denoting direction, state or... |
| 4 | Old English | lang | long; lasting; old, ancient; advanced |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | lang | long |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | langaz | long |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dlongʰos | long |