Where does “sawfish” come from?
sawfish (English) comes from English Fish, from Old English fiscian, from Proto-West Germanic fiskōn, from Proto-Germanic fiskōną, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé- — he, she.
sawfish (English): Any ray of the family Pristidae, having a snout...
Definitions
- Any ray of the family Pristidae, having a snout...
Ancestry of “sawfish”, step by step
sawfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Fish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 2 | Old English | fiscian | to fish |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | fiskōn | to fish, to catch fish |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | fiskōną | to fish, to catch fish |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English saw
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | saw | A tool with a toothed blade used for cutting hard... |
| 2 | Middle English | sawe | Alternative form of sauf |
| 3 | Old English | saga | saw; saying; statement; story, tale; narrative |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | sagā | story |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sagǭ | story |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷe- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |