Where does “merlion” come from?
merlion (English) comes from English lion, from French Lion, from Italian Leone, from Spanish león, from Latin legiō, from Latin legō, from Latin lēx, from Proto-Italic lēg- — to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to...
merlion (English): Often Merlion: a symbolic creature having the...
Definitions
- Often Merlion: a symbolic creature having the...
Ancestry of “merlion”, step by step
merlion traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English lion
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lion | A big cat, "Panthera leo", native to Africa,... |
| 2 | French | Lion | Leo (constellation) |
| 3 | Italian | Leone | Leo |
| 4 | Spanish | león | lion; antlion; a brave person |
| 5 | Latin | legiō | A legion |
| 6 | Latin | legō | to collect, gather, bring together, catch |
| 7 | Latin | lēx | a proposition or motion for a law made to the people by a magistrate, a bill |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | lēg- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ-s | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |
via Middle English merlioun
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | merlioun | merlin the falcon |
| 2 | Old French | emerillon | — |
| 3 | Old French | esmerillon | — |
| 4 | Old French | esmeril | — |
| 5 | Italian | smeriglio | emery; merlin; Synonym of sparviero |
| 6 | Greek | σμερίλιον | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | σμερί | — |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | σμύρις | emery-powder, used by lapidaries |
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 | — |