Where does “gun metal” come from?
gun metal (English) comes from English metal, from French métal, from German metall, from Italian metallo, from Spanish metal, from Old Spanish metal, from Old French métal, from Latin metallum — to mine, quarry.
Ancestry of “gun metal”, step by step
gun metal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English metal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | metal | "Chemical elements or alloys, and the mines where... |
| 2 | French | métal | metal |
| 3 | German | metall | metal |
| 4 | Italian | metallo | metal |
| 5 | Spanish | metal | metal |
| 6 | Old Spanish | metal | metal |
| 7 | Old French | métal | metal material |
| 8 | Latin | metallum | metal; precious metals, especially gold or... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | μέταλλον | A mine, quarry, or salt pit; metal |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | μέταλλευειν | to mine, quarry |
via English gun
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gun | A device for projecting a hard object very... |
| 2 | Middle English | gunne | A trebuchet or similar kind of pellet-firing... |
| 3 | Old Norse | Gunnhildr | — |
| 4 | Old Norse | Gunnr | battle, war |
| 5 | Old Norse | guðr | battle, war |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | gunþiz | battle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰéntis | striking, killing |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |