Where does “slingshot” come from?
Slingshot derives from Old English sceot and slingwaną, both from Proto-Germanic skutą and slingwaną, with the compound combining a missile-throwing device with its projectile.
slingshot (English): A Y-shaped stick with an elastic sling between...
Definitions
- A Y-shaped stick with an elastic sling between...
Ancestry of “slingshot”, step by step
slingshot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sling | To throw with a circular or arcing motion; To... |
| 2 | English | spiderling | An immature spider; Any of various herbaceous... |
| 3 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 4 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 5 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |
via English shot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shot | Worn out or broken; Woven from warp and weft... |
| 2 | Middle English | schot | A missile or projectile; a thrown or fired weapon |
| 3 | Old English | Scot | shot, act of shooting |
| 4 | Old Norse | skot | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skutą | shot |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewd- | to advance, push; to drive, propel |