Where does “houseplant” come from?
houseplant (English) comes from English plant, from Middle English plante, from Old English plante, from Proto-West Germanic *plantu, from Latin planta, from Proto-Italic plāntā, from Proto-Indo-European pléh₂-n̥t-eh₂, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₂- — flat.
houseplant (English): A plant that is grown indoors in places such as a...
Definitions
- A plant that is grown indoors in places such as a...
Ancestry of “houseplant”, step by step
houseplant traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English plant
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | plant | An organism that is not an animal, especially an... |
| 2 | Middle English | plante | — |
| 3 | Old English | plante | plant, shoot |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *plantu | plant, shoot |
| 5 | Latin | planta | any vegetable production that serves to propagate... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | plāntā | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pléh₂-n̥t-eh₂ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pleh₂- | flat |
via English House
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | House | A particular chamber of political representation |
| 2 | Middle English | hous | house, residence; house of worship, temple;... |
| 3 | Old English | hūs | dwelling, shelter, house; house |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hūs | house |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hūsą | house |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewH- | to cover, bedeck; cover |