Where does “mosquitofish” come from?
mosquitofish (English) comes from English Fish, from Old English fiscian, from Proto-West Germanic fiskōn, from Proto-Germanic fiskōną, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé- — he, she.
mosquitofish (English): Any of several small fish that feed on...
Definitions
- Any of several small fish that feed on...
Ancestry of “mosquitofish”, step by step
mosquitofish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Fish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 2 | Old English | fiscian | to fish |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fiskōn | to fish, to catch fish |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fiskōną | to fish, to catch fish |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English mosquito
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mosquito | A small flying insect of the family Culicidae,... |
| 2 | Spanish | Mosquito | mosquito |
| 3 | Old Spanish | mosquito | Diminutive of mosca; a mosquito |
| 4 | Old Spanish | mosca | fly |
| 5 | Latin | musca | a fly; an inquisitive or prying people |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μυῖα | a fly |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mūs- | fly, stinging fly, gnat; moist, damp; swamp,... |