Where does “pillworm” come from?
pillworm (English) comes from English Pill, from Welsh pil, from English Peel, from Old French piller, from Latin piliō, from Latin pilō, from Latin pila, from Latin pīlus — to grind, to crush.
pillworm (English): Any myriapod of the genus Iulus and allied genera...
Definitions
- Any myriapod of the genus Iulus and allied genera...
Ancestry of “pillworm”, step by step
pillworm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Pill
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Pill | OS grid ref ST5275 |
| 2 | Welsh | pil | peel, rind |
| 3 | English | Peel | A placename |
| 4 | Old French | piller | Alternative form of pillier; pillage; plunder |
| 5 | Latin | piliō | — |
| 6 | Latin | pilō | to put forth hairs, grow hairy |
| 7 | Latin | pila | mortar; pillar; pier |
| 8 | Latin | pīlus | a hair |
| 9 | Latin | pīlum | a pounder, pestle |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | pistlom | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pis-tlo- | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | peys- | to grind, to crush |
via English Worm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Worm | A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm |
| 2 | Middle English | worm | A worm or similar small wormlike animal that... |
| 3 | Old English | wyrm | creeping insect; maggot, grub, worm; snake,... |
| 4 | Old English | lēah | meadow; clearing with a pigsty; woodland,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | lauh | clearing; meadow |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lauhaz | clearing; meadow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lówkos | clearing; open space, clearing; field, meadow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lewḱ- | lynx |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |