Where does “switchblade” come from?
switchblade (English) comes from English blade, from Middle English blade, from Old English blæd, from Proto-West Germanic blad, from Proto-Germanic bladą, from Proto-Indo-European bʰlh̥₃oto, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
switchblade (English): A folding knife with a blade which opens...
Definitions
- A folding knife with a blade which opens...
Ancestry of “switchblade”, step by step
switchblade traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English blade
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | blade | The sharp cutting edge of a knife, chisel, or... |
| 2 | Middle English | blade | A leaf or blade; a piece foliage in general; A... |
| 3 | Old English | blæd | a leaf; the broad, flat blade of a utensil;... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | blad | leaf; sheet; blade |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bladą | leaf; sheet; blade |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰlh̥₃oto | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |