Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spinous” come from?

Spinous comes from Middle English -ous, from Old French -eux, from Latin -osus, from Proto-Italic speinā, from Proto-Indo-European spey-, ultimately from Latin -o-wont-to-s.

spinous (English): Having many spines; Spine-like; spiny; Of a...

Definitions

  1. Having many spines; Spine-like; spiny; Of a...

Ancestry of “spinous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspineThe series of bones situated at the back from the...
2Middle EnglishspyneA spine
3Old Frenchespinespine; backbone; spine; spike
4Latinspīna—
5Proto-Italicspeinā—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanspēy-to stretch; thrive; succeed

Words derived from “spinous”

  • interspinous
  • supraspinous
  • sacrospinous
  • subspinous
  • superspinous
  • macrospinous
Every word from Proto-Indo-European spēy- →