Where does “triggerfish” come from?

triggerfish (English) comes from English trigger, from Dutch trekker, from Dutch trekken, from Middle Dutch trecken, from Old Dutch trecken, from Proto-West Germanic *trakkjan, from Proto-Germanic trakjaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą — he, she.

triggerfish (English): Any of several brightly coloured fish, of the...

Definitions

  1. Any of several brightly coloured fish, of the...

Ancestry of “triggerfish”, step by step

triggerfish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English trigger

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtriggerA finger-operated lever used to fire a gun; A...
2Dutchtrekkerpuller; trigger; tractor
3Dutchtrekkento pull, to draw; to manage, to have the strength...
4Middle Dutchtreckento pull or draw to oneself; to go to another...
5Old Dutchtrecken
6Proto-West Germanic*trakkjanto drag
7Proto-Germanictrakjanąto drag
8Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
9Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
11Chichewaiyehe, she

via English Fish

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFishThe constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces
2Middle EnglishfischAn animal that inhabits the water or the meat of...
3Old Englishfisċfish
4Proto-West Germanicfiskfish
Every word from Chichewa iye