Where does “ghostling” come from?
ghostling (English) comes from English ghost, from Middle English gost, from Old English gāst, from Proto-West Germanic gaist, from Proto-Germanic gaistaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeysd- — anger, agitation.
ghostling (English): A small, young, diminutive, or inferior ghost
Definitions
- A small, young, diminutive, or inferior ghost
Ancestry of “ghostling”, step by step
ghostling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ghost
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ghost | The spirit; the soul of man; The disembodied... |
| 2 | Middle English | gost | a spiritual being; angel, devil, spirit; soul of... |
| 3 | Old English | gāst | breath, soul, spirit, ghost, being |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gaist | ghost, spirit |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gaistaz | terror, fear; spirit, ghost; mind |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰeysd- | anger, agitation |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |