Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “railbird” come from?

railbird (English) comes from English rail, from Middle English rail, from Old English regol, from Latin rēgula, from Latin -ula, from Proto-Indo-European -tlom, from Proto-Indo-European -trom, from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...

railbird (English): A rail or similar bird; A gambler; originally...

Definitions

  1. A rail or similar bird; A gambler; originally...

Ancestry of “railbird”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrailA horizontal bar extending between supports and...
2Middle Englishrail—
3Old Englishregola rule; a ruler
4Latinrēgula—
5Latin-ularegō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;...
6Proto-Indo-European-tlomAlternative form of *-trom
7Proto-Indo-European-tromForms nouns denoting a tool or instrument
8Proto-Indo-European-tḗrDerives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr →