Where does “shovelful” come from?
Shovelful derives from Middle English shovel plus Old English -ful, from Proto-Germanic skuflō and fullaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pl̥h₁nós and pleh₁-, meaning to fill.
shovelful (English): The amount that can be moved at once with a...
Definitions
- The amount that can be moved at once with a...
Ancestry of “shovelful”, step by step
shovelful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English shovel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shovel | A hand tool with a handle, used for moving... |
| 2 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 3 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 4 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |