Where does “germline” come from?
Germline comes from English germ and English line, where germ derives from Latin germen meaning "sprout" or "seed," from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- meaning "to produce or give birth."
germline (English): Those cells of an individual that have genetic...
Definitions
- Those cells of an individual that have genetic...
Ancestry of “germline”, step by step
germline traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Germ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Germ | a German person |
| 2 | English | German | A native or inhabitant of Germany; a person of... |
| 3 | Latin | Germānia | Germany in its various senses, including |
| 4 | Latin | Germānī | Native people or tribes of ancient Germania, mentioned by Julius Caesar and Tacitus |
| 5 | Latin | Germānus | — |
| 6 | Latin | germen | shoot, sprout, bud; germ, seed, origin; embryo,... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | genamen | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁mn̥ | offspring, seed |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
via English line
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | line | A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight |
| 2 | Middle English | line | rope, cord; line, rule, ruler, measure; rule,... |
| 3 | Old English | līne | line, rope, cord; line, cable, rope, hawser,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *līnā | line, chord, rope, string |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | līnǭ | that which is made of flax; line, chord, rope,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | līną | flax |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | līno- | flax |