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
| 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 | — |
| 6 | Latin | dēspiciō | — |
| 7 | Latin | dē- | — |
| 8 | Latin | dē | — |
| 9 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 10 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | posti | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
Words derived from “spittle”