Where does “halibut” come from?
Halibut comes from Middle English halibutt, from Middle English hali and Middle English holy, from Proto-Germanic hailagaz, with suffix influence from Middle French -ie and Proto-Indo-European -kos.
halibut (English): A large flatfish of the genus "Hippoglossus",...
Definitions
- A large flatfish of the genus "Hippoglossus",...
Ancestry of “halibut”, step by step
halibut traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English halibutt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | halibutt | A halibut; Fishes similar to the halibut |
| 2 | Middle English | hali | Alternative form of holy |
| 3 | Old English | hāliġ | holy |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hailag | holy, sacred |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hailagaz | holy, sacred |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hailaz | whole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | *kéh₂ilos | healthy |