Where does “springtail” come from?
springtail (English) comes from English spring, from Romanian Șpring, from German spring, from German springen, from Old High German springan, from Proto-Germanic springaną, from Proto-Indo-European spr̥ǵʰ.
springtail (English): Any of various wingless hexapods, of the subclass...
Definitions
- Any of various wingless hexapods, of the subclass...
Ancestry of “springtail”, step by step
springtail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spring
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spring | To burst forth; To grow; To cause to burst forth |
| 2 | Romanian | Șpring | — |
| 3 | German | spring | singular imperative of springen; first-person... |
| 4 | German | springen | to spring; to leap; to bounce; to dive; to jump;... |
| 5 | Old High German | springan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | springaną | to spring, to jump up; to burst, to explode |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | spr̥ǵʰ | — |
via English Tail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Tail | A Chinese constellation coinciding with the tail of Scorpius, one of the 28 lunar mansions and the tail of Azure Dragon |
| 2 | Middle English | tayl | A tail; The back side or reverse of a creature; A... |
| 3 | Old English | tæġl | tail |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | taglą | hair; ponytail; hair of a tail; tail |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | doḱ- | hair of the tail |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | deḱ- | take; perceive |