Where does “tottergrass” come from?
tottergrass (English) comes from English totter, from Middle English totren, from Middle English tolteren, from Old English tealtrian, from Proto-Germanic taltrōną, from Proto-Germanic taltōną, from Proto-Indo-European del- — to aim, calculate, adjust, count; to reckon,...
tottergrass (English): Briza media, a species of grass
Definitions
- Briza media, a species of grass
Ancestry of “tottergrass”, step by step
tottergrass traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English totter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | totter | To walk, move or stand unsteadily or falteringly;... |
| 2 | Middle English | totren | — |
| 3 | Middle English | tolteren | — |
| 4 | Old English | tealtrian | to shake, stagger, be unsteady, be uncertain,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | taltrōną | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | taltōną | to sway, dangle, hesitate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | del- | to aim, calculate, adjust, count; to reckon,... |
via English grass
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grass | Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by... |
| 2 | Middle English | gras | A grass; Any plant; especially a herbaceous one;... |
| 3 | Old English | græs | grass |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gras | grass |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grasą | grass |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |