Where does “hawkmoth” come from?
hawkmoth (English) comes from English hawk, from English hawker, from Middle Low German hȫker, from Old High German huchan, from Proto-Germanic *hūkan-, from Proto-Germanic *hūkkan-, from Proto-Germanic *huk(k)ōn-, from Proto-Indo-European *kuk-néh₂ — flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten.
hawkmoth (English): Any of several moths, of the family Sphingidae,...
Definitions
- Any of several moths, of the family Sphingidae,...
Ancestry of “hawkmoth”, step by step
hawkmoth traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hawk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hawk | A diurnal predatory bird of the family... |
| 2 | English | hawker | A peddler, huckster, who travels about to sell... |
| 3 | Middle Low German | hȫker | peddler |
| 4 | Old High German | huchan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkan- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkkan- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *huk(k)ōn- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *kuk-néh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewk- | flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten |