Where does “oakling” come from?
oakling (English) comes from English oak, from Middle English ake, from Old English āc, from Proto-West Germanic ak, from Proto-Germanic ak, from Proto-Indo-European h₁o-ge.
oakling (English): A small or young oak tree
Definitions
- A small or young oak tree
Ancestry of “oakling”, step by step
oakling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English oak
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | oak | A deciduous tree with distinctive deeply lobed... |
| 2 | Middle English | ake | Alternative form of ac; Alternative form of ache |
| 3 | Old English | āc | oak; oaken ship |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | ak | but |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ak | but, however |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁o-ge | — |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |