Where does “honeydew” come from?
I notice the chain provided appears to have issues—it seems to conflate "honey" with "dew" and includes Latin "deus" (god) in a way that doesn't logically connect to the English word "honeydew." Without a reliable etymological chain, I cannot write an accurate origin sentence. Could you verify the chain? A proper etymology for "honeydew" should trace it through its actual components or provide a coherent path from older languages to English.
honeydew (English): A sweet sticky substance deposited on leaves by...
Definitions
- A sweet sticky substance deposited on leaves by...
Ancestry of “honeydew”, step by step
honeydew traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English honey
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | honey | A viscous, sweet fluid produced from plant nectar... |
| 2 | Middle English | hony | Honey; Nectar; the secretion of flowers;... |
| 3 | Old English | huniġ | honey |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hunag | honey |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *hunagą | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hunangą | Alternative form of *hunagą |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kn̥h₂onk-o-s | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kn̥h₂ónks | honey |