Where does “retronymous” come from?
retronymous (English) comes from English ous, from English ou, from Afrikaans ou, from Dutch oud, from Middle Dutch out, from Old Dutch ald, from Proto-West Germanic ald, from Proto-Germanic aldaz — to grow, nourish.
Ancestry of “retronymous”, step by step
retronymous traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ous
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ous | plural of ou |
| 2 | English | ou | A probably extinct species of Hawaiian... |
| 3 | Afrikaans | ou | An old fellow, guy, bloke; attributive form of... |
| 4 | Dutch | oud | old |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | out | old |
| 6 | Old Dutch | ald | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | ald | old |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | aldaz | old, grown up |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eltós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | to grow, nourish |
via English retronym
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | retronym | A new word or phrase coined for an old object or... |
| 2 | English | -onym | name; word |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ὄνυμα | Doric and Aeolic form of ὄνομᾰ |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ὄνομα | name; fame; noun, in the wide sense: referring to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁nómn̥ | name |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃neh₃- | to name |