Where does “limestone” come from?
Limestone derives from English lime and English stone, compounds referring to a calcium-rich sedimentary rock formed from accumulated shells and skeletal remains.
limestone (English): An abundant rock of marine and fresh-water...
Definitions
- An abundant rock of marine and fresh-water...
Ancestry of “limestone”, step by step
limestone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English lime
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lime | Any inorganic material containing calcium,... |
| 2 | French | lime | file; lime |
| 3 | Latin | lima | file |
| 4 | Spanish | lima | lime; lemon; file |
| 5 | Spanish | Limón | lemon |
| 6 | Arabic | لَيْمُون | lemon, lime |
| 7 | Persian | لیمو | lemon; lime |
| 8 | Sanskrit | निम्बू | common lime or lemon |
| 9 | Mundari | lembu | — |
via English Stone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Stone | for someone who lived near a stone worked with stone, from |
| 2 | Middle English | ston | Alternative form of stone |
| 3 | Old English | stān | stone, rock |
| 4 | Old Norse | Veggr | name of a dwarf |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wajjuz | wall |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wh̥₁yús | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weh₁y- | to twist, wind, weave, plait; to wrap, enclose,... |