Where does “litmus” come from?

Litmus comes from Middle English litemose, from Old Norse litmosi, derived from Old Norse lita and Old Norse litr, ultimately from Proto-Germanic wlitiz and Proto-Indo-European wel-.

litmus (English): A dyestuff extracted from certain lichens, that...

Definitions

  1. A dyestuff extracted from certain lichens, that...

Ancestry of “litmus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlitmose—
2Old Norselitmosimoss used for dyeing
3Old Norselítalook; see
4Proto-Germanicwlītanąto see, look
5Proto-Germanicwleyd(ʰ)-—

Words derived from “litmus”

Every word from Proto-Germanic wleyd(ʰ)- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wlītaną →Every word from Old Norse líta →