Where does “true-bred” come from?
true-bred (English) comes from English bred, from Middle English bred, from Old English bred, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.
true-bred (English): Purebred; genetically pure
Definitions
- Purebred; genetically pure
Ancestry of “true-bred”, step by step
true-bred traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bred
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bred | simple past tense and past participle of breed |
| 2 | Middle English | bred | bread, pastry; food, nourishment |
| 3 | Old English | bred | surface; plank, board; table, tablet |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English True
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | True | — |
| 2 | Middle English | treowe | Alternative form of trewe |
| 3 | Old English | trēowe | trusty, faithful |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | triwwiz | true; faithful |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | drew- | hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dóru | tree |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | deru- | firm, solid; wood; be firm, hard, solid |