Where does “greenling” come from?
greenling (English) comes from English Green, from Middle English grene, from Old English grēne, from Proto-West Germanic grōnī, from Proto-Germanic grōniz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰreh₁- — to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow.
greenling (English): Any of various foodfishes, of the family...
Definitions
- Any of various foodfishes, of the family...
Ancestry of “greenling”, step by step
greenling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Green
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Green | Of, or pertaining, to a Green Party or green... |
| 2 | Middle English | grene | green |
| 3 | Old English | grēne | green |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | grōnī | green |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grōniz | green |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |
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,... |