Where does “watermilfoil” come from?
watermilfoil (English) comes from English milfoil, from Old French milfoil, from Latin millefolium, from Latin folium, from Proto-Italic *foljom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰolh₃yom, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
watermilfoil (English): Any of the freshwater plants of the genus...
Definitions
- Any of the freshwater plants of the genus...
Ancestry of “watermilfoil”, step by step
watermilfoil traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English milfoil
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | milfoil | Common yarrow, "Achillea millefolium"; Any of... |
| 2 | Old French | milfoil | — |
| 3 | Latin | millefolium | — |
| 4 | Latin | folium | a leaf; a petal; a sheet or leaf of paper |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *foljom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰolh₃yom | leaf |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
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;... |