Where does “ladyfish” come from?
ladyfish (English) comes from English Fish, from Old English fiscian, from Proto-West Germanic fiskōn, from Proto-Germanic fiskōną, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé- — he, she.
ladyfish (English): A coastal dwelling fish (Elops saurus), found throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions
Definitions
- A coastal dwelling fish (Elops saurus), found throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions
Ancestry of “ladyfish”, step by step
ladyfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Fish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 2 | Old English | fiscian | to fish |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fiskōn | to fish, to catch fish |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fiskōną | to fish, to catch fish |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English lady
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lady | The mistress of a household; A woman of breeding... |
| 2 | Middle English | lady | A woman with authority or leadership |
| 3 | Old English | hlǣfdīġe | bread-kneader; mistress of a household, wife of a... |
| 4 | Old English | hlāf | bread, loaf; bread, loaf, morsel; loaf, cake,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hlaib | bread, loaf |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hlaibaz | bread |