Where does “formic” come from?
Formic derives from Latin formica, which comes from Proto-Indo-European morwi-, both terms referring to the ant.
formic (English): Of or pertaining to ants; Of, pertaining to or...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to ants; Of, pertaining to or...
Ancestry of “formic”, step by step
formic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French formique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | formique | formic |
| 2 | French | -ique | Used to form adjectives from nouns: -ic, -ical,... |
| 3 | Middle French | -ique | ic |
| 4 | Old French | -ique | -ic |
| 5 | Latin | -icus | belonging to; derived from; of or pertaining to;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *-ikos | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or pertaining to' |
via Latin formīca
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | formīca | ant |
| 2 | Latin | -ārium | used primarily to form nouns of purpose from other nouns, such as places where things are kept or objects used for a particular end |
| 3 | Latin | -um | nominative neuter singular of -us; accusative... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *-om | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | *-oHom | — |