Where does “powderhorn” come from?
powderhorn (English) comes from English horn, from Middle English horn, from Old English horn, from Proto-West Germanic horn, from Proto-Germanic hurną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer-, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-, from Proto-Indo-European ker- — army.
powderhorn (English): A horn in which gunpowder is carried
Definitions
- A horn in which gunpowder is carried
Ancestry of “powderhorn”, step by step
powderhorn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English horn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | horn | A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the... |
| 2 | Middle English | horn | A horn; A jutting or projecting extremity of... |
| 3 | Old English | horn | horn; gable |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | horn | horn |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hurną | horn |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via English powder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | powder | The fine particles which are the result of... |
| 2 | Middle English | poudre | powder; The results of the decomposition of one's... |
| 3 | Old French | poudre | powder; dust |
| 4 | Late Latin | pulvera | — |
| 5 | Latin | pulvis | dust, powder; an arena, place of contest |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |