Where does “wingspan” come from?
Wingspan derives from English wing, from Middle English winge, from Old English spannan, from Proto-Germanic spannaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend-, h₂weh₁-, and (s)penh₁-, roots relating to stretching or extending.
wingspan (English): The distance from the left wingtip to the right...
Definitions
- The distance from the left wingtip to the right...
Ancestry of “wingspan”, step by step
wingspan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wing | An appendage of an animal's body that enables it... |
| 2 | English | woman | An adult female human; All female humans... |
| 3 | Middle English | womman | An female adult person; a woman; The female sex... |
| 4 | Old English | wīfmann | woman; female servant; woman |
| 5 | Old English | mann | person; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | mann | person, human |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *mann- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |
via English span
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | span | The space from the thumb to the end of the little... |
| 2 | Middle English | span | Alternative form of spanne |
| 3 | Old English | spann | span |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | spann | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | spinnaną | to spin |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pénh₁-ne- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)penh₁- | to twist; to weave |