Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nursehound” come from?

nursehound (English) comes from English nurse, from Middle English norice, from Old French norrice, from Latin nūtrīcia, from Latin nūtrīcius, from Latin nūtrīx, from Latin nūtriō, from Proto-Italic snoutrjō — to swim; to float.

nursehound (English): "Scyliorhinus stellaris", a species of catshark

Definitions

  1. "Scyliorhinus stellaris", a species of catshark

Ancestry of “nursehound”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnurseA wet nurse; A person who takes care of other...
2Middle EnglishnoriceA woman employed to take care of one's children...
3Old Frenchnorricea wet nurse
4Latinnūtrīcia—
5Latinnūtrīcius—
6Latinnūtrīx—
7Latinnūtriō—
8Proto-Italicsnoutrjō—
9Proto-Indo-Europeansnew-tr-ih₂female nurser
10Proto-Indo-European(s)neh₂-to swim; to float
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₂- →