Where does “pennalism” come from?

pennalism (English) comes from English pennal, from German Pennal, from Latin pennale, from Latin penna, from Proto-Italic petnā, from Proto-Indo-European péth₂r̥, from Proto-Indo-European peth₂- — to spread out; to fly.

pennalism (English): A system of hazing once practised in German universities

Definitions

  1. A system of hazing once practised in German universities

Ancestry of “pennalism”, step by step

pennalism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English pennal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpennalA freshman at a German university
2GermanPennalpencil case
3Latinpennale
4Latinpennawing; feather, especially a flight-feather;...
5Proto-Italicpetnāfeather; wing
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpéth₂r̥wing; feather
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpeth₂-to spread out; to fly

via English ism

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishismAn ideology, system of thought, or practice that...
2English-ismUsed to form nouns of action or process or result...
3Latin-ismus-ism
4Ancient Greek-ισμόςForms abstract nouns
5Ancient Greek-μόςForms abstract nouns
6Proto-Indo-European-mósCreates action/result nouns from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peth₂-