Where does “spadetail” come from?

spadetail (English) comes from English spade, from Italian spade, from Italian spata, from Latin spatha, from Ancient Greek σπάθη, from Proto-Indo-European sph₂-dʰ-.

spadetail (English): A mutation affecting the trunk mesoderm in some...

Definitions

  1. A mutation affecting the trunk mesoderm in some...

Ancestry of “spadetail”, step by step

spadetail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English spade

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspadeA garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for...
2Italianspadeplural of spada
3Italianspataspathe
4Latinspathaspatula, spattle; spatha; a long, two-edged,...
5Ancient Greekσπάθηany broad blade, of wood or metal
6Proto-Indo-Europeansph₂-dʰ-

via English Tail

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishTailA Chinese constellation coinciding with the tail of Scorpius, one of the 28 lunar mansions and the tail of Azure Dragon
2Middle EnglishtaylA tail; The back side or reverse of a creature; A...
3Old Englishtæġltail
4Proto-Germanictagląhair; ponytail; hair of a tail; tail
5Proto-Indo-Europeandoḱ-hair of the tail
6Proto-Indo-Europeandeḱ-take; perceive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sph₂-dʰ-Every word from Ancient Greek σπάθηEvery word from Latin spatha
spadetail — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer