Where does “tablespoonful” come from?
Tablespoonful comes from English tablespoon, combining English table from Latin tabula and English spoon from Latin spuma, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots.
tablespoonful (English): The capacity of a tablespoon; A tablespoon
Definitions
- The capacity of a tablespoon; A tablespoon
Ancestry of “tablespoonful”, step by step
tablespoonful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tablespoon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tablespoon | A large spoon, used for eating food from a bowl;... |
| 2 | English | spoon | An implement for eating or serving; a scooped... |
| 3 | Middle English | spoon | Alternative form of spone |
| 4 | Old English | spōn | piece of wood, chip; sliver, chip of wood,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | spanu | piece of wood, chip, shaving |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | spenô | nipple |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | psten-os- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pstḗn | breast, teat |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₂ǵ-sth₂-ḗn | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |
via English ful
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ful | — |