Where does “swiftwing” come from?
swiftwing (English) comes from English wing, from English woman, from Middle English womman, from Old English wīfmann, from Old English mann, from Proto-West Germanic mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-, from Proto-Indo-European men- — to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,...
swiftwing (English): Any of various species of dragonfly of the genus Lathrocordulia, endemic to Australia
Definitions
- Any of various species of dragonfly of the genus Lathrocordulia, endemic to Australia
Ancestry of “swiftwing”, step by step
swiftwing traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wing | An appendage of an animal's body that enables it... |
| 2 | English | woman | An adult female human; All female humans... |
| 3 | Middle English | womman | An female adult person; a woman; The female sex... |
| 4 | Old English | wīfmann | woman; female servant; woman |
| 5 | Old English | mann | person; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | mann | person, human |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *mann- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |
via English Swift
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Swift | originally a nickname for a swift or quick person |
| 2 | Middle English | swift | — |
| 3 | Old English | swift | swift, quick |
| 4 | Old English | swīfan | to revolve, sweep, wend, intervene; to move,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *swīban | to revolve, to move around |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | swībaną | to revolve; move around; sway; stray; to sweep;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | swey- | to twist, swing; to hiss; whistle; to swing,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sew- | to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to... |