Where does “fourspine” come from?

fourspine (English) comes from English four, from Middle English four, from Old English fēower, from Proto-West Germanic feuwar, from Proto-Germanic fedwōr, from Proto-Indo-European kʷetwóres, from Proto-Indo-European kʷe- — and.

fourspine (English): Having four spines; used in the names of species

Definitions

  1. Having four spines; used in the names of species

Ancestry of “fourspine”, step by step

fourspine traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English four

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfourA numerical value equal to 4; the number after...
2Middle Englishfourfour
3Old Englishfēowerfour
4Proto-West Germanicfeuwarfour
5Proto-Germanicfedwōrfour
6Proto-Indo-Europeankʷetwóresfour
7Proto-Indo-Europeankʷe-and

via English spine

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspineThe series of bones situated at the back from the...
2Middle EnglishspyneA spine
3Old Frenchespinespine; backbone; spine; spike
4Latinspīnaa thorn or a thorny tree or shrub, such as whitethorn, hawthorn, or blackthorn
5Proto-Italicspeināthorn
6Proto-Indo-Europeanspēy-to stretch; thrive; succeed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷe-
fourspine — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer