Where does “pufferfish” come from?
pufferfish (English) comes from English puffer, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
pufferfish (English): Any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae...
Definitions
- Any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae...
Ancestry of “pufferfish”, step by step
pufferfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English puffer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | puffer | Someone or something that puffs; Any of several... |
| 2 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 3 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 4 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 5 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English Fish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 2 | French | fiche | card; plug; first-person singular present... |
| 3 | French | ficher | to plug in; to drive something in by its point,... |
| 4 | Old French | fichier | to pierce |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | *fīgicāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | fīgō | to fasten, fix |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | feigʷō | to insert; to fasten |