Where does “womb-child” come from?
womb-child (English) comes from English Child, from Middle English childen, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.
Ancestry of “womb-child”, step by step
womb-child traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Child
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Child | Alternative letter-case form of child "often used... |
| 2 | Middle English | childen | To deliver a child; to beget or procreate; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English womb
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | womb | In female mammals, the organ in which the young... |
| 2 | Middle English | wombe | The stomach; The womb or uterus; the location... |
| 3 | Old English | womb | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wambu | womb |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wambō | belly, stomach, abdomen; womb |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wamp- | membrane , intestines, womb |