Where does “sea urchin” come from?
sea urchin (English) comes from English sea, from Middle English see, from Old English sǣ, from Proto-West Germanic saiwi, from Proto-Germanic saiwiz, from Proto-Germanic sīhwaną, from Proto-Indo-European seykʷ-, from Proto-Indo-European sey- — to be wet; dribble; run; to stretch one's arm;...
sea urchin (English): Any of many marine echinoderms, of the class...
Definitions
- Any of many marine echinoderms, of the class...
Ancestry of “sea urchin”, step by step
sea urchin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sea
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sea | A large body of salt water; A lake, especially if... |
| 2 | Middle English | see | sea, ocean; A body of water, a lake; seat, chair |
| 3 | Old English | sǣ | sea, lake |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | saiwi | sea |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | saiwiz | sea, ocean |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sīhwaną | to filter |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | seykʷ- | to moisten; to filter |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sey- | to be wet; dribble; run; to stretch one's arm;... |
via English urchin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | urchin | A mischievous child; A street urchin, a child who... |
| 2 | Middle English | yrchoun | hedgehog; sea urchin; echinoderm; A stuffed pig... |
| 3 | Old French | heriçun | hedgehog |
| 4 | Old French | eriz | — |
| 5 | Latin | ēricius | hedgehog |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰḗr | hedgehog |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰer- | to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines |