Where does “merchild” come from?
merchild (English) comes from English Child, from Middle English childen, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.
merchild (English): The young of either sex of a legendary creature,...
Definitions
- The young of either sex of a legendary creature,...
Ancestry of “merchild”, step by step
merchild traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Child
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Child | Alternative letter-case form of child "often used... |
| 2 | Middle English | childen | To deliver a child; to beget or procreate; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English mer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mer | A repeat unit: a structural unit which through... |
| 2 | English | polymer | A long or larger molecule consisting of a chain... |
| 3 | English | poly- | many; polymer |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πολύς | many, a lot of; neuter πολύ or πολλά as... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πόρος | a means of passage, passageway, way, opening;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πείρω | I pierce, run through; I cleave through |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | *péryō | — |