Where does “seashell” come from?
Seashell derives from Old English sǣ (sea) and shell, with sǣ tracing through Middle English see to Latin sedes (seat) and ultimately Proto-Indo-European sed- (to sit).
seashell (English): the empty shell of a marine mollusk; A very light...
Definitions
- the empty shell of a marine mollusk; A very light...
Ancestry of “seashell”, 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;... |