Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “needletail” come from?

needletail (English) comes from English needle, from Middle English nedle, from Old English nǣdl, from Proto-Germanic *nāþlu, from Proto-Germanic nēþlō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₁- — to spin , to sew.

needletail (English): Any of various birds related to the swift

Definitions

  1. Any of various birds related to the swift

Ancestry of “needletail”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishneedleA fine, sharp implement usually for piercing such...
2Middle Englishnedle—
3Old Englishnǣdl—
4Proto-Germanic*nāþlu—
5Proto-Germanicnēþlōneedle
6Proto-Indo-European(s)neh₁-to spin , to sew
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₁- →