Where does “Clownfisch” come from?
Clownfisch (German) comes from German fisch, from Yiddish פֿיש, from English Fish, from Old English fiscian, from Proto-West Germanic fiskōn, from Proto-Germanic fiskōną, from Proto-Germanic -ōną, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
Clownfisch (German): clownfish
Definitions
- clownfish
Ancestry of “Clownfisch”, step by step
Clownfisch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German fisch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | fisch | fish cold-blooded vertebrates living in water |
| 2 | Yiddish | פֿיש | fish |
| 3 | English | Fish | The constellation and zodiacal sign Pisces |
| 4 | Old English | fiscian | to fish |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | fiskōn | to fish, to catch fish |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fiskōną | to fish, to catch fish |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via German Clown
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Clown | clown male or of unspecified gender |
| 2 | English | clown | A slapstick performance artist often associated... |
| 3 | English | clowne | OS grid ref SK4975 |
| 4 | Old Welsh | *Colün | — |
| 5 | Old English | īeġ | island |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | auwju | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | awjō | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | agwjō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |