Where does “hedgehog” come from?
Hedgehog comes from Middle English hedge, from Middle English hog, ultimately from Old Norse hǫggva meaning to strike or cut, derived from Proto-Indo-European ḱak-.
hedgehog (English): A small mammal, of the family Erinaceidae or...
Definitions
- A small mammal, of the family Erinaceidae or...
Ancestry of “hedgehog”, step by step
hedgehog traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hog
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hog | Any animal belonging to the Suidae family of... |
| 2 | English | quahog | An edible clam with a hard shell found along the... |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |