Where does “squirreltail” come from?
squirreltail (English) comes 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, from Ancient Greek σκιά — darkness, shadow.
squirreltail (English): Elymus elymoides, a species of wild rye
Definitions
- Elymus elymoides, a species of wild rye
Ancestry of “squirreltail”, step by step
squirreltail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English squirrel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | squirrel | Any of the rodents of the family Sciuridae... |
| 2 | Middle English | squirel | A squirrel; A squirrel fur or hide |
| 3 | Old French | escurel | squirrel |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | scuriolus | — |
| 5 | Latin | scūrius | — |
| 6 | Latin | sciūrus | squirrel |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | σκίουρος | squirrel |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | σκιά | shadow; shade |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱeh₃ih₂ | shadow, shade |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱeh₃- | darkness, shadow |
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 |