Where does “seagull” come from?
I need to flag an issue: the etymology chain provided doesn't support "seagull" as a headword. The chain traces "sea" (sǣ, see, wai, se, sed-, sed-, -os), but "seagull" is a compound of "sea" + "gull," and no etymology for "gull" is provided. I cannot write an accurate one-sentence origin summary for "seagull" using only this chain, as it would require inventing the missing etymology of "gull." Could you provide: 1. The complete chain for "seagull" itself, or 2. Clarification that the headword should be "sea" instead?
seagull (English): Any of several white, often dark backed birds of...
Definitions
- Any of several white, often dark backed birds of...
Ancestry of “seagull”, step by step
| 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;... |