Where does “harpoonable” come from?
harpoonable (English) comes from English harpoon, from French harpon, from Old French harpon, from Old French harpe, from Latin harpa, from Frankish harpā, from Proto-Germanic harpǭ, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kreb- — to cut, cut off, sever.
harpoonable (English): Able to be harpooned
Definitions
- Able to be harpooned
Ancestry of “harpoonable”, step by step
harpoonable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English harpoon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | harpoon | A spearlike weapon with a barbed head used in... |
| 2 | French | harpon | harpoon |
| 3 | Old French | harpon | — |
| 4 | Old French | harpe | harp |
| 5 | Latin | harpa | harp |
| 6 | Frankish | harpā | harp |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | harpǭ | harp |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kreb- | to turn; to touch; to turn, bend, shrink, rotate,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
via English able
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | able | Easy to use; Suitable; competent; Liable to |
| 2 | Middle English | able | capable, expert, qualified, skilful, competent |
| 3 | Old French | able | able; capable |
| 4 | Latin | habilis | able to have/possess/maintain; having sufficient... |
| 5 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |