Where does “pricksong” come from?

pricksong (English) comes from English prick, from Middle English prikken, from Old English prician, from Old English -ian, from Old English -ōjan, from Proto-West Germanic -ōn, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.

pricksong (English): Music sung from notation written with dots or...

Definitions

  1. Music sung from notation written with dots or...

Ancestry of “pricksong”, step by step

pricksong traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English prick

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishprickA small hole or perforation, caused by piercing;...
2Middle Englishprikkento prick, pierce
3Old Englishpricianto prick
4Old English-ianForms verbs from nouns and adjectives
5Old English-ōjan
6Proto-West Germanic-ōnCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
7Proto-Germanic-ōnąCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
8Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
9Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
11Chichewaiyehe, she

via English song

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsongA musical composition with lyrics for voice or...
2Thaiสอง2
3Proto-Taisoːŋᴬtwo
4Middle Chinese
Every word from Chichewa iye
pricksong — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer