Where does “turtlehead” come from?
turtlehead (English) comes from English Turtle, from French tortue, from Middle French tortue, from Old Occitan tortuga, from Late Latin tartarucha, from Latin tartarūchus, from Ancient Greek ταρταροῦχος, from Ancient Greek ἔχω — to hold; to overpower.
turtlehead (English): A white turtlehead, an American perennial herb (Chelone glabra) with white flowers
Definitions
- A white turtlehead, an American perennial herb (Chelone glabra) with white flowers
Ancestry of “turtlehead”, step by step
turtlehead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Turtle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Turtle | A member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of... |
| 2 | French | tortue | turtle or tortoise |
| 3 | Middle French | tortue | turtle |
| 4 | Old Occitan | tortuga | — |
| 5 | Late Latin | tartarucha | — |
| 6 | Latin | tartarūchus | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ταρταροῦχος | holder of Tartaros, Tartarus, the land of the... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ἔχω | I have, possess, contain, own; I hold; I have... |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | hékʰō | to have |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | seǵʰ- | to hold; to overpower |
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |