Where does “microsnail” come from?

microsnail (English) comes from English snail, from Middle English snayl, from Old English sneġel, from Proto-Germanic snagilaz — snail.

microsnail (English): A micromollusk, especially a marine one

Definitions

  1. A micromollusk, especially a marine one

Ancestry of “microsnail”, step by step

microsnail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English snail

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsnailAny of very many animals (either hermaphroditic or nonhermaphroditic), of the class Gastropoda, having a coiled shell
2Middle EnglishsnaylA snail or slug; a gastropod
3Old Englishsneġela snail or slug, a gastropod
4Proto-Germanicsnagilazsnail

via English micro

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmicroSmall, relatively small; short form of...
2Ancient Greekμικρόςlittle, small
3Proto-Indo-Europeanmēy-soft, tender, dear
Every word from Proto-Germanic snagilaz