Where does “watchspring” come from?
watchspring (English) comes from English watch, from English puppy, from English puppie, from Middle French poupée, from Old French poupée, from Latin pupa, from Latin pupus, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂w- — few, little; smallness.
watchspring (English): The mainspring in a mechanical watch
Definitions
- The mainspring in a mechanical watch
Ancestry of “watchspring”, step by step
watchspring traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English watch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | watch | A portable or wearable timepiece; The act of... |
| 2 | English | puppy | A young dog, especially before sexual maturity; A... |
| 3 | English | puppie | Obsolete form of puppy |
| 4 | Middle French | poupée | doll, toy |
| 5 | Old French | poupée | — |
| 6 | Latin | pupa | girl, little girl; doll, puppet; pupa |
| 7 | Latin | pupus | a boy, a child; a puppet; the pupil of the eye |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂w- | few, little; smallness |
via English spring
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spring | To burst forth; To grow; To cause to burst forth |
| 2 | Romanian | Șpring | — |
| 3 | German | spring | singular imperative of springen; first-person... |
| 4 | German | springen | to spring; to leap; to bounce; to dive; to jump;... |
| 5 | Old High German | springan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | springaną | to spring, to jump up; to burst, to explode |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | spr̥ǵʰ | — |