Where does “planthopper” come from?

planthopper (English) comes from English Hopper, from Middle English hoppere, from Old English hoppa, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō — he, she.

planthopper (English): Any of many insects, of superfamily Fulgoroidea,...

Definitions

  1. Any of many insects, of superfamily Fulgoroidea,...

Ancestry of “planthopper”, step by step

planthopper traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Hopper

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHopperOne who or that which hops
2Middle Englishhoppere
3Old Englishhoppaone who hops, hopper; hopper
4English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
5Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
6Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
7Latin-ārefirst conjugation
8Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
9Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
10Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
12Chichewaiyehe, she

via English plant

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishplantAn organism that is not an animal, especially an...
2Middle Englishplante
3Old Englishplanteplant, shoot
4Proto-West Germanic*plantuplant, shoot
5Latinplantaany vegetable production that serves to propagate...
6Proto-Italicplāntā
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpléh₂-n̥t-eh₂
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₂-flat
Every word from Chichewa iye
planthopper — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer