Where does “spitbug” come from?
spitbug (English) comes from English spit, from Middle English spit, from Middle English despit, from Old French despit, from Latin dēspectus, from Latin dēspiciō, from Latin dē-, from Latin dē — afterwards, post; by, at.
spitbug (English): Any of various small insects of the superfamily...
Definitions
- Any of various small insects of the superfamily...
Ancestry of “spitbug”, step by step
spitbug traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spit | A thin metal or wooden rod on which meat is... |
| 2 | Middle English | spit | — |
| 3 | Middle English | despit | — |
| 4 | Old French | despit | — |
| 5 | Latin | dēspectus | disdained, despised |
| 6 | Latin | dēspiciō | to look down upon |
| 7 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 8 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 9 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 10 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |