Where does “mackerel sky” come from?
mackerel sky (English) comes from English mackerel, from Middle English makerel, from Old French maquerel, from Middle Dutch makelare, from Low German maken, from Middle Low German māken, from Old Saxon makōn, from Proto-West Germanic makōn — to oil, knead; to knead, oil.
mackerel sky (English): A sky filled with a regular pattern of altocumulus clouds somewhat resembling the skin of a mackerel
Definitions
- A sky filled with a regular pattern of altocumulus clouds somewhat resembling the skin of a mackerel
Ancestry of “mackerel sky”, step by step
mackerel sky traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mackerel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mackerel | An edible fish of the family Scombridae, often... |
| 2 | Middle English | makerel | mackerel |
| 3 | Old French | maquerel | mackerel |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | makelare | — |
| 5 | Low German | maken | To make |
| 6 | Middle Low German | māken | — |
| 7 | Old Saxon | makōn | to make |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | makōn | to build, work, make |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | makaz | fit, suitable, agreeable, comfortable |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | maǵ- | to oil, knead; to knead, oil |