Where does “ratsbane” come from?
ratsbane (English) comes from English bane, from Middle English bane, from Old English Bana, from Proto-Germanic banō, from Proto-Germanic banô, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰon-on-, from Proto-Indo-European gʷʰen-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰon-.
ratsbane (English): Rat poison; white arsenic
Definitions
- Rat poison; white arsenic
Ancestry of “ratsbane”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | bane | A cause of misery or death; Poison, especially... |
| 2 | Middle English | bane | murderer, slayer; bane, destroyer; Alternative... |
| 3 | Old English | Bana | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | banō | a battlefield; a clearing; open space; a cleared... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | banô | murderer |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰon-on- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰen- | to strike, slay, kill |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰon- | — |