Where does “halfling” come from?
halfling (English) comes from English half, from Middle English half, from Old English healf, from Proto-Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic halbaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- — to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...
halfling (English): A fictional small humanoid creature featuring in...
Definitions
- A fictional small humanoid creature featuring in...
Ancestry of “halfling”, step by step
halfling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English half
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | half | Consisting of a half; Consisting of some... |
| 2 | Middle English | half | half |
| 3 | Old English | healf | side; half; partly |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *halb | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | halbaz | half |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |
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,... |