Where does “honeysuckle” come from?
Honeysuckle derives from Middle English honisokel, whose diminutive suffix -el comes from Old English -el, itself from Old English -ol, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -elo- and Proto-Indo-European -lós.
honeysuckle (English): Any of the many species of arching shrubs and...
Definitions
- Any of the many species of arching shrubs and...
Ancestry of “honeysuckle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | honysokel | Honeysuckle or a similar plant; Clover or a... |
| 2 | Middle English | -el | — |
| 3 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 4 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 5 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |