Where does “petrel” come from?
Petrel comes from Middle English petrel, likely derived from the name Peter, possibly because the bird's habit of skimming water reminded observers of Saint Peter walking on water.
petrel (English): Any of various species of black, grey, or white...
Definitions
- Any of various species of black, grey, or white...
Ancestry of “petrel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Peter | radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter P |
| 2 | Middle English | Peter | Peter |
| 3 | Latin | Petrus | Peter |
| 4 | Indonesian | penembak | shooter |
| 5 | Indonesian | tembak | to shoot to fire a shot |
| 6 | Malay | tembak | to shoot |
| 7 | Malay | timbak | Obsolete form of tembak |
| 8 | Proto-Malayic | timbak | — |
| 9 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | ti(m)bak | — |