Where does “spearmint” come from?
spearmint (English) comes from English Spear, from Middle English spere, from Old French sphere, from Latin sphēra, from Ancient Greek σφαῖρα, from Ancient Greek -ειδής, from Ancient Greek -ής, from Proto-Indo-European -ēs — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
spearmint (English): "Mentha spicata", A herb of the mint family,...
Definitions
- "Mentha spicata", A herb of the mint family,...
Ancestry of “spearmint”, step by step
spearmint traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Spear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Spear | A long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion |
| 2 | Middle English | spere | A spear or lance; The Lance of Longinus; A barb... |
| 3 | Old French | sphere | sphere shape |
| 4 | Latin | sphēra | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σφαῖρα | ball, globe, sphere |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ειδής | like, connected to, from the nature of, full of;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |
via English mint
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mint | A building or institution where money is... |
| 2 | Middle English | minten | Alternative form of mynten |
| 3 | Hungarian | menten | at once, on the spot, immediately |
| 4 | Hungarian | mente | leaving from somewhere; going somewhere; the... |
| 5 | Hungarian | ment | to rescue, to save; third-person singular past of... |
| 6 | Hungarian | mén | stallion; archaic third-person singular... |
| 7 | Hungarian | megy | to go |
| 8 | Proto-Uralic | mene- | to go |