Where does “snowdrop” come from?
snowdrop (English) comes from English drop, from Middle English droppen, from Old English dropian, from Old English -ian, from Old English -ōjan, from Proto-West Germanic -ōn, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
snowdrop (English): Any of the 20 species of the genus "Galanthus" of...
Definitions
- Any of the 20 species of the genus "Galanthus" of...
Ancestry of “snowdrop”, step by step
snowdrop traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English drop
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | drop | A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to... |
| 2 | Middle English | droppen | To drip; to fall in drops |
| 3 | Old English | dropian | to drop |
| 4 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English snow
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | snow | The frozen, crystalline state of water that falls... |
| 2 | Middle English | snow | snow; snow-white; The temperature where snow... |
| 3 | Old English | snāw | snow |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | snaiw | snow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | snaiwaz | snow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | snóygʷʰos | snow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sneygʷʰ- | to snow |