Where does “spittle” come from?
Spittle comes from Middle English spytte, from Latin -ula and -ulus suffixes applied to a root from Proto-Indo-European sph₂-dʰ- and dʰeh₁-, meaning to spit or put.
spittle (English): Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration;...
Definitions
- Spit, usually frothy and of a milky coloration;...
Ancestry of “spittle”, step by step
spittle 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 Middle English spitel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | spitel | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | hospitale | hospital; guesthouse, guestroom |
| 3 | Latin | hospitālis | Of or pertaining to a host or guest |
| 4 | Latin | hospes | host; guest, visitor; stranger; foreigner |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | hostipotis | host |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | χostipotis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰostipotis | master of guests |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pótis | master, ruler; husband |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₃tis | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₃- | to drink |