Where does “oldsquaw” come from?

oldsquaw (English) comes from English Old, from Middle English old, from Old English ald, from Proto-Germanic *ald, from Proto-Germanic aldaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eltós, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- — to grow, nourish.

oldsquaw (English): "Clangula hyemalis", the long-tailed duck, a...

Definitions

  1. "Clangula hyemalis", the long-tailed duck, a...

Ancestry of “oldsquaw”, step by step

oldsquaw traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Old

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishOldOS grid ref SP7873
2Middle Englisholdold; long extant or existent
3Old EnglishaldAlternative form of eald
4Proto-Germanic*ald—
5Proto-Germanicaldazold, grown up
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eltós—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-to grow, nourish

via English squaw

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsquawA woman, wife; especially a Native American woman
2Massachusettsquàwwoman
3Proto-Algonquian*eθkwe·wa—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eltós →Every word from Proto-Germanic aldaz →