Where does “spitfire” come from?
spitfire (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.
spitfire (English): A cannon; A person with a fiery temper, someone...
Definitions
- A cannon; A person with a fiery temper, someone...
Ancestry of “spitfire”, step by step
spitfire 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 |
via English fire
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fire | A chemical reaction involving the bonding of... |
| 2 | Middle English | fier | Alternative form of figer |
| 3 | Old English | fȳr | fire |
| 4 | Old English | feor | Alternative form of feorr; far |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |