Where does “fungus-growing ant” come from?
fungus-growing ant (English) comes from English ȧnt, from Middle English ampte, from Old English ǣmete, from Proto-West Germanic āmaitijā, from Proto-West Germanic uʀ-, from Proto-Germanic uz-, from Proto-Indo-European uss-, from Proto-Indo-European uds- — out, outward.
fungus-growing ant (English): Any ant of the tribe Attini, which grow fungi in their ant colonies using food scraps, the fungi are then used to feed the colony
Definitions
- Any ant of the tribe Attini, which grow fungi in their ant colonies using food scraps, the fungi are then used to feed the colony
Ancestry of “fungus-growing ant”, step by step
fungus-growing ant traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English ȧnt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ȧnt | — |
| 2 | Middle English | ampte | An ant; a formicid; A mantid |
| 3 | Old English | ǣmete | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | āmaitijā | ant |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | uʀ- | out, over; off, away |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |
via English growing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | growing | present participle of grow; growth; increase;... |
| 2 | English | grow | To become larger, to increase in magnitude; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | growen | To grow usually of plants, fruit, etc |
| 4 | Old English | grōwan | to grow, increase, flourish, germinate |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grōaną | to green; to grow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |