Where does “swamp donkey” come from?
swamp donkey (English) comes from English donkey, from Middle English donekie, from Middle English don, from Old English dōn, from Proto-West Germanic dōn, from Proto-Germanic dōną, from Proto-Indo-European dʰéh₁t, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- — to do, put, place.
swamp donkey (English): A moose or large deer, especially a large white-tailed deer inhabiting swampy or lowland areas
Definitions
- A moose or large deer, especially a large white-tailed deer inhabiting swampy or lowland areas
Ancestry of “swamp donkey”, step by step
swamp donkey traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English donkey
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | donkey | a domestic animal, Equus asinus asinus, similar... |
| 2 | Middle English | donekie | a miniature dun horse |
| 3 | Middle English | don | To do, perform; To complete, finish; To make,... |
| 4 | Old English | dōn | to do |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | dōn | to do; to put, to place |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | dōną | to do, make; to put, place |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰéh₁t | to put, to place; to do |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁- | to do, put, place |
via English swamp
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | swamp | A piece of wet, spongy land; low ground saturated... |
| 2 | Middle English | swam | swamp, muddy pool, bog, marsh", also "fungus,... |
| 3 | Old English | swamm | mushroom, fungus; sponge; first/third-person... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *swammaz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | swombh- | sponge, tree-fungus, swamp |