Where does “horsefeathers” come from?
horsefeathers (English) comes from English feathers, from English feather, from German feder, from Middle High German vëdere, from Old High German fedara, from Proto-West Germanic feþru, from Proto-Germanic feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥ — to spread out; to fly.
horsefeathers (English): plural of horsefeather; API pl; Nonsense;...
Definitions
- plural of horsefeather; API pl; Nonsense;...
Ancestry of “horsefeathers”, step by step
horsefeathers traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English feathers
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | feathers | plural of feather; Third-person singular simple... |
| 2 | English | feather | A branching, hair-like structure that grows on... |
| 3 | German | feder | feather |
| 4 | Middle High German | vëdere | feather |
| 5 | Old High German | fedara | feather |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | feþru | feather |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | feþrō | feather |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | péth₂r̥ | wing; feather |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | peth₂- | to spread out; to fly |