Where does “longshanks” come from?
longshanks (English) comes from English long, from English longitude, from Old French longitude, from Latin longitūdō, from Latin longus, from Latin -ē, from Latin dis-, from Latin calceus — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
longshanks (English): A bird, the stilt
Definitions
- A bird, the stilt
Ancestry of “longshanks”, step by step
longshanks traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English long
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | long | Having much distance from one terminating point... |
| 2 | English | longitude | Angular distance measured west or east of the... |
| 3 | Old French | longitude | — |
| 4 | Latin | longitūdō | length, longitude; longness |
| 5 | Latin | longus | far, long; extended, prolonged; long; tedious,... |
| 6 | Latin | -ē | ly; used to form adverbs from adjectives |
| 7 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 8 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 9 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via English shanks
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shanks | plural of shank; Third-person singular simple... |