Where does “mouse-ear” come from?
mouse-ear (English) comes from Middle English mousere, from Middle English mousen, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.
mouse-ear (English): A type of small hawkweed native to Eurasia (mouse-ear hawkweed, Pilosella officinarum), commonly found on dry grasslands
Definitions
- A type of small hawkweed native to Eurasia (mouse-ear hawkweed, Pilosella officinarum), commonly found on dry grasslands
Ancestry of “mouse-ear”, step by step
mouse-ear traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English mousere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mousere | mouse-ear |
| 2 | Middle English | mousen | To mouse catch mice |
| 3 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English ear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ear | The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna,... |
| 2 | Middle English | ēre | The ear organ that receives sound |
| 3 | Old English | ēare | ear |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | auʀā | ear |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ausô | ear |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ṓws | ear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ew- | to enjoy; to consume; to perceive, see, to be... |