Where does “sheepshearing” come from?
sheepshearing (English) comes from English shearing, from Middle English scherynge, from Middle English scheren, from Old English sċieran, from Proto-West Germanic skeran, from Proto-Germanic skeraną, from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- — to caw, crow.
sheepshearing (English): The act of shearing sheep
Definitions
- The act of shearing sheep
Ancestry of “sheepshearing”, step by step
sheepshearing traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English shearing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shearing | Tending to cut or tear; present participle of... |
| 2 | Middle English | scherynge | Sheep-shearing; the trimming of sheep's wool |
| 3 | Middle English | scheren | To cut; to slash or slice with a blade or sharp... |
| 4 | Old English | sċieran | to cut |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | skeran | to shear, to cut |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skeraną | to shear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |
via English sheep
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sheep | A woolly ruminant of the genus "Ovis"; A timid,... |
| 2 | Middle English | sheep | sheep |
| 3 | Old English | sċēap | sheep |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skāp | sheep |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skapą | shape |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skapjaną | to make, to create; to shape |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | skab- | to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,... |