Where does “wiry” come from?
I need to analyze this etymology chain carefully, but I notice there's a significant problem: the chain provided doesn't actually trace "wiry" back through its etymological ancestors. The chain shows suffix development (-y, -ie, -ia, -ivus, -kos), but these are suffix morphemes, not the root of "wiry." "Wiry" is composed of "wire" + the suffix "-y" (meaning "resembling or containing"). The chain provided only tracks the suffix, not the complete word etymology. Additionally, the chain appears to have errors or inconsistencies (Proto-Indo-European -kos appears twice, and the connection between these morphemes and "wiry" specifically isn't clearly established). Given the instruction to "state only what the chain supports" and not "invent dates, cognates, or intermediate steps," I cannot accurately complete this task as requested because: 1. The chain doesn't establish
wiry (English): Thin, muscular and flexible
Definitions
- Thin, muscular and flexible
Ancestry of “wiry”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wire | Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now... |
| 2 | Middle English | wir | — |
| 3 | Old English | wīr | wire, metal thread, wire-ornament |
| 4 | English | myrtle | An evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus... |
| 5 | Old French | myrte | — |
| 6 | Latin | myrtus | myrtle |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μύρτος | myrtle; twig or spray of myrtle |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | μυρίκη | tamarisk |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -ίκη | — |