Where does “shepherdling” come from?
shepherdling (English) comes from English Shepherd, from Middle English schepherde, from Old English sċēaphierde, from Old English sċēap, from Proto-West Germanic skāp, from Proto-Germanic skapą, from Proto-Germanic skapjaną, from Proto-Indo-European skab- — to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,...
shepherdling (English): A little shepherd
Definitions
- A little shepherd
Ancestry of “shepherdling”, step by step
shepherdling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Shepherd
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Shepherd | A person who tends sheep, especially a grazing flock |
| 2 | Middle English | schepherde | shepherd |
| 3 | Old English | sċēaphierde | shepherd |
| 4 | Old English | sċēap | sheep |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | skāp | sheep |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skapą | shape |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | skapjaną | to make, to create; to shape |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | skab- | to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,... |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |