Where does “whitebait” come from?
whitebait (English) comes from English White, from English sox, from English socks, from English sock, from French soc, from Vulgar Latin soccus, from Proto-Celtic sukkos, from Proto-Indo-European suH- — to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to...
whitebait (English): The young of various species of fish, especially...
Definitions
- The young of various species of fish, especially...
Ancestry of “whitebait”, step by step
whitebait traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English White
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | White | Alternative letter-case form of white; An... |
| 2 | English | sox | plural of sock |
| 3 | English | socks | plural of sock; Third-person singular simple... |
| 4 | English | sock | A knitted or woven covering for the foot; A shoe... |
| 5 | French | soc | plowshare; Boston butt |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | soccus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | sukkos | pig (snout) |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | suH- | pig, hog, swine |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sewH- | to bear; to give birth |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sew- | to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to... |
via English bait
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bait | Any substance, especially food, used in catching... |
| 2 | Middle English | bayte | Bait or lure; objects used as a bait or lure;... |
| 3 | Old Norse | beita | to graze; to allow, let, make bite; to steer or... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | baitō | That which is or can be bitten; food; bait |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeyd- | to split |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰey- | bee |