Where does “rove beetle” come from?
rove beetle (English) comes from English Rove, from English rōw, from English roll, from Middle English rolle, from Old French rolle, from Medieval Latin rotulus, from Latin rotula, from Arabic رَطْل — ingot.
rove beetle (English): Any of various carnivorous or scavenging beetles of the family Staphylinidae that are often found in decaying matter and have slender bodies and short wing covers
Definitions
- Any of various carnivorous or scavenging beetles of the family Staphylinidae that are often found in decaying matter and have slender bodies and short wing covers
Ancestry of “rove beetle”, step by step
rove beetle traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Rove
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Rove | To shoot with arrows (at) |
| 2 | English | rōw | A line of objects, often regularly spaced, such as seats in a theatre, vegetable plants in a garden, etc |
| 3 | English | roll | To cause to revolve by turning over and over; to... |
| 4 | Middle English | rolle | — |
| 5 | Old French | rolle | registration |
| 6 | Medieval Latin | rotulus | a roll, list, catalogue, schedule, record, a... |
| 7 | Latin | rotula | a small wheel; roll |
| 8 | Arabic | رَطْل | — |
| 9 | Classical Syriac | ܪܝܛܠܐ | — |
| 10 | Classical Syriac | ܠܝܛܪܐ | libra, pound |
| 11 | French | litre | litre |
| 12 | Medieval Latin | litra | — |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | λίτρα | litra, a Sicilian silver coin; libra, a unit of... |
| 14 | Proto-Italic | *līðrā | ingot |