Where does “wharfhead” come from?
wharfhead (English) comes from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
wharfhead (English): The portion of a wharf that extends farthest into the water
Definitions
- The portion of a wharf that extends farthest into the water
Ancestry of “wharfhead”, step by step
wharfhead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via English wharf
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wharf | A man-made landing place for ships on a shore or... |
| 2 | Middle English | wharf | wharf |
| 3 | Old English | hweorfan | to turn, change; to depart, go, proceed; to... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hwerbaną | to turn; turn around; to move; move about; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷerp- | to turn; to whirl, to twist |