Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “toadflax” come from?

toadflax (English) comes from English flax, from Middle English flax, from Old English fleax, from Proto-West Germanic flahs, from Proto-Germanic flahsą, from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European pel- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.

toadflax (English): Any of several European plants, of the genus...

Definitions

  1. Any of several European plants, of the genus...

Ancestry of “toadflax”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishflaxA plant of the genus "Linum", especially "Linum...
2Middle Englishflax—
3Old Englishfleaxlinen, flax
4Proto-West Germanicflahsflax
5Proto-Germanicflahsąflax
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →