Where does “hayseed” come from?
hayseed (English) comes from English seed, from English See, from Middle English seen, from Old English sēon, from Proto-West Germanic sehwan, from Proto-Germanic sehwaną, from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- — to follow; to see; to say.
hayseed (English): Seeds from grass that has become hay; Cruft from...
Definitions
- Seeds from grass that has become hay; Cruft from...
Ancestry of “hayseed”, step by step
hayseed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English seed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | seed | A fertilized and ripened ovule, containing an... |
| 2 | English | See | — |
| 3 | Middle English | seen | to see |
| 4 | Old English | sēon | to be; to filter; to see, look, behold, perceive,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | sehwan | to see |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sehwaną | to see |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |