Where does “ragworm” come from?

ragworm (English) comes from English Worm, from Middle English worm, from Old English wyrm, from Old English lēah, from Proto-West Germanic lauh, from Proto-Germanic lauhaz, from Proto-Indo-European lówkos, from Proto-Indo-European lewḱ- — bright; to shine; to see.

ragworm (English): A polychaete worm in the genus "Nereis" or the...

Definitions

  1. A polychaete worm in the genus "Nereis" or the...

Ancestry of “ragworm”, step by step

ragworm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Worm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWormA generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid phylum; an earthworm
2Middle EnglishwormA worm or similar small wormlike animal that...
3Old Englishwyrmcreeping insect; maggot, grub, worm; snake,...
4Old Englishlēahmeadow; clearing with a pigsty; woodland,...
5Proto-West Germaniclauhclearing; meadow
6Proto-Germaniclauhazclearing; meadow
7Proto-Indo-Europeanlówkosclearing; open space, clearing; field, meadow
8Proto-Indo-Europeanlewḱ-lynx
9Proto-Indo-Europeanlewk-bright; to shine; to see

via English rag

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishragTattered clothes; A piece of old cloth; a...
2Middle Englishraggerag, cloth scrap; cloth strip, band of fabric;...
3Old Englishragg
4Old Norserǫggshagginess; tuft; tuft, shagginess; tuft;...
5Proto-Germanicrūhazrough
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rewk-to dig; to till
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃er-to move, to stir; to rise, to spring; to quarrel,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewk-