Where does “soundward” come from?
soundward (English) comes from English ward, from Middle English ward, from Old English weard, from Old English ōra, from Old English ēar, from Proto-Germanic ahaz, from Proto-Finnic ahtas, from Proto-Baltic anśtas — to constrict, tighten, compress; narrow, tight;...
soundward (English): Describing the direction from which a sound is coming
Definitions
- Describing the direction from which a sound is coming
Ancestry of “soundward”, step by step
soundward traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ward
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ward | A warden; a guard; a guardian or watchman;... |
| 2 | Middle English | ward | ward, keeping |
| 3 | Old English | weard | guard; guard, the action of looking out for... |
| 4 | Old English | ōra | ore, unwrought metal |
| 5 | Old English | ēar | sea, ocean; grave, earth |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | ahaz | ear |
| 7 | Proto-Finnic | ahtas | narrow, cramped |
| 8 | Proto-Baltic | anśtas | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énǵʰus | narrow, tight |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂enǵʰ- | to constrict, tighten, compress; narrow, tight;... |
via English Sound
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Sound | The strait that separates Zealand (an island of Denmark) from Scania (part of Sweden); also sometimes called by the Danish name, Øresund |
| 2 | Middle English | sound | — |
| 3 | Old English | sund | swimming; sea, water |
| 4 | Old Norse | sund | swimming; strait, sound; swimming, sound |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sundą | swimming; sound, strait |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | swimmaną | to be unsteady; to swim; float |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | swem(bʰ)- | to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim |