Where does “sling” come from?
Sling comes from Middle English slynge, from Old Norse slyngja, from Proto-Germanic slingwaną, meaning to throw or cast.
sling (English): To throw with a circular or arcing motion; To...
Definitions
- To throw with a circular or arcing motion; To...
Ancestry of “sling”, step by step
sling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spiderling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spiderling | An immature spider; Any of various herbaceous... |
| 2 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 3 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 4 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |
via Middle English slynge
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | slynge | A sling; A piece of fabric suspended between... |
| 2 | Middle English | slyngen | To sling, hurl, or toss; To use a weapon to hurl... |
| 3 | Old Norse | slyngja | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | slingwaną | to swing, sling; to wind, twist |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | slenk- | to turn; wind; twist; to turn, to twist, to wind;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sel- | dwelling; piece of wood; beam, post, balk, board,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ser- | to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together |