Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. Any of the freshwater plants of the genus...

Ancestry of “watermilfoil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmilfoilCommon yarrow, "Achillea millefolium"; Any of...
2Old Frenchmilfoil—
3Latinmillefolium—
4Latinfoliuma leaf; a petal; a sheet or leaf of paper
5Proto-Italic*foljom—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰolh₃yomleaf
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰleh₃-bloom, flower
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →