Where does “tortoiseshell” come from?
Tortoiseshell derives from English shell, from Middle English schelle, from Medieval Latin tortuca, from Proto-West Germanic skallju, from Proto-Germanic skaljō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel-, meaning to split or separate.
tortoiseshell (English): The horny, translucent, mottled covering of the...
Definitions
- The horny, translucent, mottled covering of the...
Ancestry of “tortoiseshell”, step by step
tortoiseshell traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Shell
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Shell | A diminutive of the female given name Michelle or Shelly |
| 2 | Middle English | schelle | — |
| 3 | Old English | sċiell | shell |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skallju | scale; shell |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skaljō | shell; husk; rind; peel |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |