Where does “tetrapetalous” come from?
tetrapetalous (English) comes from English petalous, from English -ous, from Middle English -ous, from Old French -us, from Latin -ōsus, from Old Latin -ōssus.
tetrapetalous (English): Containing four distinct petals
Definitions
- Containing four distinct petals
Ancestry of “tetrapetalous”, step by step
tetrapetalous traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English petalous
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | petalous | Having petals |
| 2 | English | -ous | Used to form adjectives from nouns, to denote... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ous | — |
| 4 | Old French | -us | -ous, used for forming adjectives |
| 5 | Latin | -ōsus | ose, -ous, -ful (full of or overly prone to) |
| 6 | Old Latin | -ōssus | — |
via English tetra
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tetra | Any of numerous species of small South American... |
| 2 | Translingual | Tetragonopterus | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πτερόν | feather; wing; Any winged creature |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | péth₂r̥ | wing; feather |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | peth₂- | to spread out; to fly |