Where does “needleleaf” come from?
needleleaf (English) comes from English leaf, from Old English Leofa, from Old English lēof, from West Germanic *leub, from Proto-Germanic leubaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European lēw- — to sound, resound, sing out; to leave.
Ancestry of “needleleaf”, step by step
needleleaf traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English leaf
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | leaf | The usually green and flat organ that represents... |
| 2 | Old English | Leofa | — |
| 3 | Old English | lēof | lief, dear |
| 4 | West Germanic | *leub | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | leubaz | dear, beloved |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewbʰ- | to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lēw- | to sound, resound, sing out; to leave |