Where does “swamphen” come from?
swamphen (English) comes from English hen, from Middle English hen, from Old English henn, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic hanjō, from Proto-Indo-European keh₂n- — to sing.
swamphen (English): Several species of bird in the genus "Porphyrio"...
Definitions
- Several species of bird in the genus "Porphyrio"...
Ancestry of “swamphen”, step by step
swamphen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hen | A female chicken (Gallus gallus), especially a sexually mature one kept for her eggs |
| 2 | Middle English | hen | hen, chicken; female bird |
| 3 | Old English | henn | hen |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hannju | hen |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hanjō | hen |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂n- | to sing |
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 |