Where does “windpipe” come from?
Windpipe derives from English wind and pipe, with wind tracing through Middle English winde, Old English windan, Proto-Germanic windaną, and Proto-Indo-European h₂weh₁-, originally meaning to blow or move.
windpipe (English): The trachea; Any duct for air or other gas; A...
Definitions
- The trachea; Any duct for air or other gas; A...
Ancestry of “windpipe”, step by step
windpipe traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wind
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wind | Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air... |
| 2 | English | farm | A place where agricultural and similar activities... |
| 3 | Middle English | ferme | A lease; the renting of land |
| 4 | Old French | ferme | lease; the land leased; farm |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | ferma | Alternative form of firma |
| 6 | Latin | Firma | tax, tribute |
| 7 | Latin | Firmus | strong, powerful |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | fermos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer-mo-s | holding |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |
via English pipe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pipe | Meanings relating to a wind instrument; Meanings... |
| 2 | Middle English | pīpe | A pipe; a piece of tubing used as a channel (often for fluids) |
| 3 | Middle English | pipen | To use a pipe or similar musical instrument; to... |
| 4 | Old English | pīpian | to pipe |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | pīpan | to peep, to chirp, to squeak |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | pīpaną | To chirp or pipe like a bird or rodent; To talk... |
| 7 | Latin | pipo | I pip, peep |