Where does “wild asparagus” come from?
wild asparagus (English) comes from English wild, from Middle English wild, from Old English wilde, from Proto-West Germanic wilþī, from Proto-Germanic wilþijaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂welh₁- — to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool.
wild asparagus (English): Asparagus acutifolius, a species of asparagus common in the Mediterranean basin
Definitions
- Asparagus acutifolius, a species of asparagus common in the Mediterranean basin
Ancestry of “wild asparagus”, step by step
wild asparagus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wild
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wild | Untamed; not domesticated; specifically, in an... |
| 2 | Middle English | wild | — |
| 3 | Old English | wilde | wild, savage |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wilþī | wild |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wilþijaz | wild |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂welh₁- | to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool |
via English Asparagus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Asparagus | Any of various perennial plants of the genus Asparagus having leaflike stems, scalelike leaves, and small flowers |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | asparagus | asparagus; shoot, sprout-like asparagus, samphire |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀσπάραγος | asparagus; young shoots |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀσφάραγος | throat, gullet; asparagus; shoots of other plants |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pregʰ | to jerk, to scatter |