Where does “squirreliness” come from?
squirreliness (English) comes from English squirrely, from English squirrel, from Middle English squirel, from Old French escurel, from Vulgar Latin scuriolus, from Latin scūrius, from Latin sciūrus, from Ancient Greek σκίουρος — darkness, shadow.
Ancestry of “squirreliness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | squirrely | Alternative form of squirrelly |
| 2 | English | squirrel | Any of the rodents of the family Sciuridae... |
| 3 | Middle English | squirel | A squirrel; A squirrel fur or hide |
| 4 | Old French | escurel | squirrel |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | scuriolus | — |
| 6 | Latin | scūrius | — |
| 7 | Latin | sciūrus | squirrel |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | σκίουρος | squirrel |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | σκιά | shadow; shade |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱeh₃ih₂ | shadow, shade |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱeh₃- | darkness, shadow |