Where does “shieldtail” come from?
shieldtail (English) comes from English shield, from Middle English scheld, from Old English sċield, from Proto-West Germanic skeldu, from Proto-Germanic skelduz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)keit-.
shieldtail (English): Any species of small burrowing snakes of the...
Definitions
- Any species of small burrowing snakes of the...
Ancestry of “shieldtail”, step by step
shieldtail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English shield
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shield | Anything that protects or defends; defense;... |
| 2 | Middle English | scheld | A shield; An object that resembles a shield; Any... |
| 3 | Old English | sċield | shield |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skeldu | shield |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skelduz | shield |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)keit- | — |
via English Tail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Tail | A Chinese constellation coinciding with the tail of Scorpius, one of the 28 lunar mansions and the tail of Azure Dragon |
| 2 | Middle English | tayl | A tail; The back side or reverse of a creature; A... |
| 3 | Old English | tæġl | tail |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | taglą | hair; ponytail; hair of a tail; tail |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | doḱ- | hair of the tail |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | deḱ- | take; perceive |