Where does “sphagnous” come from?

sphagnous (English) comes from English ous, from English ou, from Afrikaans ou, from Dutch oud, from Middle Dutch out, from Old Dutch ald, from Proto-West Germanic ald, from Proto-Germanic aldaz — to grow, nourish.

sphagnous (English): Pertaining to, or consisting of, sphagnum

Definitions

  1. Pertaining to, or consisting of, sphagnum

Ancestry of “sphagnous”, step by step

sphagnous traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ous

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishousplural of ou
2EnglishouA probably extinct species of Hawaiian...
3AfrikaansouAn old fellow, guy, bloke; attributive form of...
4Dutchoudold
5Middle Dutchoutold
6Old Dutchald
7Proto-West Germanicaldold
8Proto-Germanicaldazold, grown up
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eltós
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-to grow, nourish

via English sphagnum

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsphagnumAny of various widely distributed mosses, of...
2TranslingualSphagnumgenus
3Ancient GreekσφάγνοςGreek sage
4Ancient GreekφάσκονA kind of moss drooping from oaks; first-person...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰers-top, tip, point
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él-Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eltósEvery word from Proto-Germanic aldaz
sphagnous — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer