Where does “grenade” come from?
grenade (French) comes from Old French grenate, from Old French pomme grenate, from Italian pom granat, from Medieval Latin pomum granatum, from Latin pōmum, from Latin pōmus, from Proto-Italic poomos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂po-h₁ém-os — from, off, back; off, away; off, from.
grenade (French): pomegranate; grenade; insignia, badge
Definitions
- pomegranate; grenade; insignia, badge
Ancestry of “grenade”, step by step
grenade traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French grenate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | grenate | pomegranate |
| 2 | Old French | pomme grenate | pomegranate |
| 3 | Italian | pom granat | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | pomum granatum | seeded fruit; grainy apple; pomegranate |
| 5 | Latin | pōmum | any type of fruit (applied to apples, cherries, nuts, berries, figs, dates, etc.) |
| 6 | Latin | pōmus | fruit |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | poomos | fruit |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂po-h₁ém-os | taken off |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂epo | from, off, back; off, away; off, from |
via Spanish Granada
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | Granada | pomegranate fruit |
| 2 | Spanish | granado | grained; pomegranate tree |
| 3 | Latin | grānātum | pomegranate fruit |
| 4 | Latin | grānātus | having many seeds or grains |
| 5 | Latin | grānum | grain, seed, small kernel |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | grānom | grain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nóm | grain |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nós | matured, grown old |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |