Where does “tapeworm” come from?
Tapeworm derives from English tape and Middle English wurm, from Old English wyrm, from Proto-Germanic tappô and wr̥mis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots wer- and deh₂-.
tapeworm (English): Any parasitical worm of the class or infraclass...
Definitions
- Any parasitical worm of the class or infraclass...
Ancestry of “tapeworm”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Worm | — |
| 2 | Middle English | worm | A worm or similar small wormlike animal that... |
| 3 | Old English | wyrm | creeping insect; maggot, grub, worm; snake,... |
| 4 | Old English | lēah | meadow; clearing with a pigsty; woodland,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | lauh | clearing; meadow |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lauhaz | clearing; meadow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lówkos | clearing; open space, clearing; field, meadow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lewḱ- | lynx |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |