Where does “ringworm” come from?
Ringworm comes from Old English wyrm combined with a word from Proto-Germanic hringijaną meaning to turn or bend, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek- meaning to cut or separate.
ringworm (English): A contagious fungal infection of the skin,...
Definitions
- A contagious fungal infection of the skin,...
Ancestry of “ringworm”, step by step
ringworm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English worm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | worm | A generally tubular invertebrate of the annelid... |
| 2 | Middle English | wurm | Alternative form of worm |
| 3 | Middle English | worm | A worm or similar small wormlike animal that... |
| 4 | Old English | wyrm | creeping insect; maggot, grub, worm; snake,... |
| 5 | Old English | lēah | meadow; clearing with a pigsty; woodland,... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | lauh | clearing; meadow |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | lauhaz | clearing; meadow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lówkos | clearing; open space, clearing; field, meadow |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewḱ- | lynx |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |
via English ring
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ring | A solid object in the shape of a circle; A group... |
| 2 | Middle English | ryng | ring |
| 3 | Old English | hring | ring |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hring | ring, circle |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hringaz | ring, circle; curve; sound, ring |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)krengʰ- | to turn, bend |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |