Where does “shadow fleet” come from?

shadow fleet (English) comes from English shadow, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

shadow fleet (English): The collection of vessels utilised by a state to covertly pursue its interests in a way which maintains plausible deniability, such as smuggling to avoid international sanctions, carrying out sabotage, or projecting power in disputed waters

Definitions

  1. The collection of vessels utilised by a state to covertly pursue its interests in a way which maintains plausible deniability, such as smuggling to avoid international sanctions, carrying out sabotage, or projecting power in disputed waters

Ancestry of “shadow fleet”, step by step

shadow fleet traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English shadow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshadowA dark image projected onto a surface where light...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English Fleet

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFleetA former prison (the Fleet Prison) in London, which originally stood near the stream
2Middle EnglishfleteA fleet; a collection or grouping of vessels; A...
3Old Englishflēotship; bay; fleet
4Frankishflotōnto float, swim
5Proto-Germanicflutōnąto float; drift
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplewd-to fly, flow, run
7Proto-Indo-Europeanplew-to fly, flow, run
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos