Where does “mainstem” come from?
mainstem (English) comes from English stem, from English femme, from French femme, from Middle French femme, from Old French fame, from Latin fēmina, from Proto-Italic fēmanā, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂ — to suckle, nurse.
mainstem (English): The principal watercourse of a river that has...
Definitions
- The principal watercourse of a river that has...
Ancestry of “mainstem”, step by step
mainstem traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English stem
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stem | The stock of a family; a race or generation of... |
| 2 | English | femme | A woman, a wife; a young woman or girl; A... |
| 3 | French | femme | woman; wife; Alternative form of fem |
| 4 | Middle French | femme | wife; woman |
| 5 | Old French | fame | wife, female partner; woman |
| 6 | Latin | fēmina | woman |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | fēmanā | woman |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂ | who sucks; one who is sucked; one who suckles;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁(y)- | to suckle, nurse |