Where does “water-salamander” come from?
water-salamander (English) comes from English salamander, from Middle English salamandre, from Old French salamandre, from Latin salamandra, from Ancient Greek σαλαμάνδρα, from Persian سمندر, from Persian سام, from Proto-Indo-Iranian ćyaHmás — darkness, shadow.
water-salamander (English): Any salamander which habitually or permanently...
Definitions
- Any salamander which habitually or permanently...
Ancestry of “water-salamander”, step by step
water-salamander traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English salamander
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | salamander | A long, slender, chiefly terrestrial amphibian of... |
| 2 | Middle English | salamandre | — |
| 3 | Old French | salamandre | salamander |
| 4 | Latin | salamandra | salamander |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σαλαμάνδρα | fire salamander |
| 6 | Persian | سمندر | salamander; a mythological fire-dwelling creature... |
| 7 | Persian | سام | fire; flame; swell, swelling |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | ćyaHmás | black |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱyeh₁-mó-s | black, dark |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱeh₃- | darkness, shadow |
via English water
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | water | A substance found at room temperature and... |
| 2 | Middle English | water | water; water vapour, condensation; lake, pond,... |
| 3 | Old English | wæter | water |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | watar | water |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | watōr | water |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wódr̥ | water |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wed- | water |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wey- | to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;... |