Where does “understory” come from?
Understory comes from Middle English under-, prefixed to story from Old French estorer (to restore), from Latin instaurare (to renew or repair), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne.
understory (English): The layer of plants that grow in the shade of the...
Definitions
- The layer of plants that grow in the shade of the...
Ancestry of “understory”, step by step
understory traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English story
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | story | A sequence of real or fictional events; or, an... |
| 2 | Middle English | storie | The spoken or textual recounting of historic... |
| 3 | Old French | estorie | Alternative form of estoire |
| 4 | Latin | historia | history; account; story |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἱστορία | inquiry, examination, systematic observation,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἱστορέω | to inquire, ask; to examine, observe; to record,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἵστωρ | one who knows law and right, judge; witness; a... |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | wístōr | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wéydtōr | one who has seen, one who knows |
| 10 | Indo-European | *weyd- | — |