Where does “sealwax” come from?
sealwax (English) comes from English seal, from Middle English sel, from Anglo-Norman sëel, from Latin sigillum, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
sealwax (English): sealing wax
Definitions
- sealing wax
Ancestry of “sealwax”, step by step
sealwax traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English seal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | seal | A pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal |
| 2 | Middle English | sel | Good fortune, prosperity, luck |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | sëel | — |
| 4 | Latin | sigillum | figurine, statuette; seal |
| 5 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |