Where does “muttonfish” come from?
muttonfish (English) comes from English mutton, from Middle English motoun, from Old French mouton, from Vulgar Latin molto, from Gaulish multon-, from Proto-Celtic moltos, from Proto-Indo-European (h₂)moldus, from Proto-Indo-European mel- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
muttonfish (English): Any of several Atlantic and Caribbean fishes...
Definitions
- Any of several Atlantic and Caribbean fishes...
Ancestry of “muttonfish”, step by step
muttonfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mutton
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mutton | The flesh of sheep used as food; The flesh of... |
| 2 | Middle English | motoun | The meat of sheep or a piece of it; mutton; A... |
| 3 | Old French | mouton | sheep; mutton |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | molto | wether |
| 5 | Gaulish | multon- | sheep |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | moltos | ram, wether |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (h₂)moldus | soft, weak |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
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 |