Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “snakeweed” come from?

snakeweed (English) comes from English snake, from Middle English snake, from Old English snaca, from Proto-Germanic snakô, from Proto-Germanic snakaną, from Proto-Indo-European sneg- — to crawl, creeping thing.

snakeweed (English): Any of various unrelated plants reputed to cure...

Definitions

  1. Any of various unrelated plants reputed to cure...

Ancestry of “snakeweed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsnakeA legless reptile of the sub-order Serpentes with...
2Middle Englishsnakesnake; serpent
3Old Englishsnacasnake
4Proto-Germanicsnakôsnake
5Proto-Germanicsnakanąto crawl
6Proto-Indo-Europeansneg-to crawl, creeping thing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneg- →