Where does “strawbreadth” come from?
strawbreadth (English) comes from English breadth, from Middle English bredthe, from Middle English brede, from Old English bred, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz — adjectival suffix.
Ancestry of “strawbreadth”, step by step
strawbreadth traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English breadth
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | breadth | The extent or measure of how broad or wide... |
| 2 | Middle English | bredthe | breadth |
| 3 | Middle English | brede | Alternative form of breiden; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Old English | bred | surface; plank, board; table, tablet |
| 5 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 6 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 7 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English straw
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | straw | A dried stalk of a cereal plant; Such dried... |
| 2 | Middle English | straw | The remaining plant material after cultivation;... |
| 3 | Old English | strēaw | straw |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | strau | straw |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | strawą | straw |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | strew- | to spread, to strew |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sterh₃- | to spread, extend, stretch out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ster- | sterile, infertile |