Where does “ploughshare” come from?
Ploughshare comes from Middle English schere, from Old Norse plógr, from Proto-Germanic plōgaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek-, meaning to cut or divide.
ploughshare (English): Alternative spelling of plowshare
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of plowshare
Ancestry of “ploughshare”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Plough | — |
| 2 | Middle English | plouh | — |
| 3 | Old English | plōh | hide of land, ploughland |
| 4 | Old Frisian | plōg | troop, common interest |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | plōgaz | plough |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | ɸlowyos | rudder |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plówyos | ship |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |