Where does “heirling” come from?
heirling (English) comes from English heir, from Middle English heir, from Anglo-Norman eir, from Old French heir, from Latin hērēs, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeh₁ro-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeh₁- — to go, to walk.
Ancestry of “heirling”, step by step
heirling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English heir
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | heir | Someone who inherits, or is designated to... |
| 2 | Middle English | heir | heir; Alternative form of her; Alternative form... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | eir | heir |
| 4 | Old French | heir | — |
| 5 | Latin | hērēs | heir, heiress |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰeh₁ro- | derelict; an abandoned or forsaken person |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰeh₁- | to go, to walk |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |