Where does “smallpox” come from?
Small derives from Middle English smal, Old English smæl, Proto-Germanic smalaz, and Proto-Indo-European (s)mel-, originally meaning to split or divide.
smallpox (English): An acute, highly infectious often fatal disease...
Definitions
- An acute, highly infectious often fatal disease...
Ancestry of “smallpox”, step by step
smallpox traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Small
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Small | Not large or big; insignificant; few in number |
| 2 | Middle English | smal | Small, miniscule; Little, few, scarce; Ground... |
| 3 | Old English | smæl | narrow, slim; not broad; slender; not thick;... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | smal | small |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | smalaz | small |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mal- | small; little |