Where does “ladybug” come from?

ladybug (English) comes from English lady, from Middle English lady, from Old English hlǣfdīġe, from Old English hlāf, from Proto-West Germanic hlaib, from Proto-Germanic hlaibaz — bread.

ladybug (English): Synonym of ladybird

Definitions

  1. Synonym of ladybird

Ancestry of “ladybug”, step by step

ladybug traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English lady

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishladyThe mistress of a household; A woman of breeding...
2Middle EnglishladyA woman with authority or leadership
3Old Englishhlǣfdīġebread-kneader; mistress of a household, wife of a...
4Old Englishhlāfbread, loaf; bread, loaf, morsel; loaf, cake,...
5Proto-West Germanichlaibbread, loaf
6Proto-Germanichlaibazbread

via English bug

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbugAn insect of the order Hemiptera; Any of various...
2Englishbuggebeetle
3Middle Englishbuggebogy, hobgoblin, bugbear; scarecrow
4Proto-Germanicbugja-swollen up, thick
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰew-to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

Words derived from “ladybug

Every word from Proto-Germanic hlaibazEvery word from Proto-West Germanic hlaibEvery word from Old English hlāf