Where does “trefoillike” come from?
trefoillike (English) comes from English trefoil, from Middle English trefoil, from Old French trifoil, from Latin trifolium, from Latin folium, from Proto-Italic *foljom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰolh₃yom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-.
trefoillike (English): Resembling or characteristic of a trefoil
Definitions
- Resembling or characteristic of a trefoil
Ancestry of “trefoillike”, step by step
trefoillike traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English trefoil
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | trefoil | Any of several plants of the pea family, having... |
| 2 | Middle English | trefoil | — |
| 3 | Old French | trifoil | trefoil |
| 4 | Latin | trifolium | trefoil, clover |
| 5 | Latin | folium | a leaf; a petal; a sheet or leaf of paper |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *foljom | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰolh₃yom | leaf |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
via English like
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | like | To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of;... |
| 2 | Dutch | luik | hatch; shutter; panel, as in a triptych |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | luke | — |
| 4 | Dutch | luiken | to close, to shut |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | luken | to close, to shut; to close, to become closed |
| 6 | Old Dutch | lūcan | to close, shut |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | lūkan | to close, to shut |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | lūkaną | to close, to shut; Alternative form of *leukaną |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewǵ- | to break, tear; to break, shatter |