Where does “horseflesh” come from?
Horseflesh comes from Middle English hors and flesh, with flesh from Old English flǽsc, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ḱers- meaning to cut or scrape.
horseflesh (English): The flesh of a horse; horse meat; Horses...
Definitions
- The flesh of a horse; horse meat; Horses...
Ancestry of “horseflesh”, step by step
horseflesh traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English flesh
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | flesh | The soft tissue of the body, especially muscle... |
| 2 | Middle English | flesh | flesh; A communion wafer; A muscle |
| 3 | Old English | flǣsċ | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | flaiski | meat, flesh |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | flaiski | meat, flesh |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₁ḱ- | to tear, peel off; to tear, rend |