Where does “mudworm” come from?
mudworm (English) comes from English Worm, from Middle English worm, from Old English wyrm, from Old English lēah, from Proto-West Germanic lauh, from Proto-Germanic lauhaz, from Proto-Indo-European lówkos, from Proto-Indo-European lewḱ- — bright; to shine; to see.
mudworm (English): Any species of worm that lives in mud, especially coastal mudflats
Definitions
- Any species of worm that lives in mud, especially coastal mudflats
Ancestry of “mudworm”, step by step
mudworm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Worm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Worm | A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm |
| 2 | Middle English | worm | A worm or similar small wormlike animal that... |
| 3 | Old English | wyrm | creeping insect; maggot, grub, worm; snake,... |
| 4 | Old English | lēah | meadow; clearing with a pigsty; woodland,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | lauh | clearing; meadow |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lauhaz | clearing; meadow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lówkos | clearing; open space, clearing; field, meadow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lewḱ- | lynx |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |
via English MUD
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MUD | Acronym of multi-user dungeon: an interactive... |
| 2 | Dutch | mud | An old measure of volume, varying in content over... |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | mudde | — |
| 4 | Latin | modius | modius, a unit of dry measure of about a peck or... |
| 5 | Latin | modus | measure |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mēd- | to measure |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | med- | to measure; to give advice; healing |