Where does “turtleshell” come from?
turtleshell (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.
turtleshell (English): Patterned like the shell of a turtle
Definitions
- Patterned like the shell of a turtle
Ancestry of “turtleshell”, step by step
turtleshell 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 Shell
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Shell | A diminutive of the female given name Michelle or Shelly |
| 2 | Middle English | schelle | — |
| 3 | Old English | sċiell | shell |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skallju | scale; shell |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skaljō | shell; husk; rind; peel |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |