Where does “mermaidweed” come from?
mermaidweed (English) comes from English mermaid, from Middle English mermayde, from Middle English mere, from Old English mere, from Old English byriġ, from Old English burh, from Old English burg, from Proto-Germanic burgz.
mermaidweed (English): Any of the watermilfoils in the genus Proserpinaca, native to eastern North America and the West Indies
Definitions
- Any of the watermilfoils in the genus Proserpinaca, native to eastern North America and the West Indies
Ancestry of “mermaidweed”, step by step
mermaidweed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mermaid
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mermaid | A mythological creature with a woman's head and... |
| 2 | Middle English | mermayde | mermaid |
| 3 | Middle English | mere | mare; mother; sea, lake |
| 4 | Old English | mere | lake; pool; sea |
| 5 | Old English | byriġ | — |
| 6 | Old English | burh | Alternative form of burg; fortress; hill |
| 7 | Old English | burg | city; town; a fortified place: stronghold, fort,... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |