Where does “snakewhip” come from?

snakewhip (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.

snakewhip (English): A kind of single-tailed whip with no handle,...

Definitions

  1. A kind of single-tailed whip with no handle,...

Ancestry of “snakewhip”, step by step

snakewhip traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English snake

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

via English whip

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhipA lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a...
2Middle Englishwhippen—
3Middle Dutchwippento swing, leap, dance, oscillate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneg- →Every word from Proto-Germanic snakaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic snakô →