Where does “giantkiller” come from?
giantkiller (English) comes from English killer, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
giantkiller (English): One who slays a giant
Definitions
- One who slays a giant
Ancestry of “giantkiller”, step by step
giantkiller traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English killer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | killer | One who or that which kills; That which causes... |
| 2 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 3 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 4 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 5 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English giant
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | giant | A mythical human of very great size;... |
| 2 | Middle English | geaunt | A giant; A immoral or despicable person |
| 3 | Old French | gaiant | a giant |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | *gagantem | — |
| 5 | Latin | gigantem | accusative singular of gigāns |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Γίγας | one of the Gigantes; a Gigas |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | Γίγᾱς | — |