Where does “leaf mold” come from?
leaf mold (English) comes from English mold, from Middle English molde, from Old French modle, from Latin modulus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
leaf mold (English): Decomposed or composted remains of leaves; Soil...
Definitions
- Decomposed or composted remains of leaves; Soil...
Ancestry of “leaf mold”, step by step
leaf mold traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mold
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mold | A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or... |
| 2 | Middle English | molde | dirt loose soil |
| 3 | Old French | modle | — |
| 4 | Latin | modulus | a small measure or interval; a module; a water... |
| 5 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English leaf
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | leaf | The usually green and flat organ that represents... |
| 2 | Old English | Leofa | — |
| 3 | Old English | lēof | lief, dear |
| 4 | West Germanic | *leub | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | leubaz | dear, beloved |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewbʰ- | to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lēw- | to sound, resound, sing out; to leave |