Where does “kite” come from?
Kite comes from Middle Dutch kitte, from Egyptian qdt, ultimately from Coptic ⲕⲓⲧⲉ.
kite (English): A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae; A...
Definitions
- A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae; A...
Ancestry of “kite”, step by step
kite traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English kyte
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | kyte | A kite |
| 2 | Middle English | kite | Alternative form of kyte |
| 3 | Middle English | kete | Alternative form of kyte; a kite endemic to... |
| 4 | Old English | cȳta | kite, bittern; kite; bittern |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kūtijô | kite |
| 6 | Latvian | kūt | to hit, to strike |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via Coptic ⲕⲓⲧⲉ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coptic | ⲕⲓⲧⲉ | — |
| 2 | Demotic | qt | — |
| 3 | Egyptian | qdt | a qite, a measure of weight equivalent to 1⁄10... |
via Proto-Slavic kỳta
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | kỳta | twig, adornment |