Where does “micromollusc” come from?
micromollusc (English) comes from English mollusc, from French mollusque, from New Latin Mollusca, from Latin molluscus, from Latin mollis, from Latin molduis, from Proto-Italic moldus, from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥dus — to soften, to melt.
Ancestry of “micromollusc”, step by step
micromollusc traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mollusc
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mollusc | A soft-bodied invertebrate of the phylum... |
| 2 | French | mollusque | mollusc |
| 3 | New Latin | Mollusca | — |
| 4 | Latin | molluscus | soft |
| 5 | Latin | mollis | soft, delicate to the touch; pliant, flexible,... |
| 6 | Latin | molduis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | moldus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *ml̥dus | soft, weak |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |