Where does “weedkiller” come from?
weedkiller (English) comes from English killer, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
weedkiller (English): A chemical agent that destroys unwanted plants (weeds) but not wanted ones (crops etc)
Definitions
- A chemical agent that destroys unwanted plants (weeds) but not wanted ones (crops etc)
Ancestry of “weedkiller”, step by step
weedkiller traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English killer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | killer | One who or that which kills; That which causes... |
| 2 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 3 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 4 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 5 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |