Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “twintail” come from?

twintail (English) comes from Japanese ツインテール, from Japanese ツイン, from English twin, from Middle English twin, from Old English twīn, from Proto-West Germanic twiʀn, from Proto-Germanic twiznaz, from Proto-Indo-European dwisnós — two.

twintail (English): A variety of goldfish with the tail divided into...

Definitions

  1. A variety of goldfish with the tail divided into...

Ancestry of “twintail”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseツインテール—
2Japaneseツイン—
3EnglishtwinEither of two people who shared the same uterus...
4Middle Englishtwin—
5Old Englishtwīndouble thread, twist, twine, linen-thread, linen
6Proto-West Germanictwiʀntwine, double thread
7Proto-Germanictwiznaz—
8Proto-Indo-Europeandwisnósdouble
9Proto-Indo-Europeandwóh₁two
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ →