Where does “-dactylus” come from?
-dactylus (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek δάκτυλος, from Hebrew דקל, from German Dackel, from German Dachshund, from German Dachs, from Old High German dahs, from Proto-West Germanic þahs, from Proto-Germanic þahsuz — to sire, beget.
Ancestry of “-dactylus”, step by step
-dactylus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Ancient Greek δάκτυλος
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | δάκτυλος | finger; measure of length, the breadth of a... |
| 2 | Hebrew | דקל | palm tree; date; dachshund |
| 3 | German | Dackel | dachshund; a similar-looking dog, e.g. a basset... |
| 4 | German | Dachshund | dachshund; a similar-looking dog, e.g. a basset... |
| 5 | German | Dachs | badger; genitive singular of Dach |
| 6 | Old High German | dahs | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | þahs | badger |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | þahsuz | badger |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | tótḱus | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | tetḱ- | to create, produce; to cut, hew |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | teḱ- | to sire, beget |
via Ancient Greek δᾰ́κτῠλος
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | δᾰ́κτῠλος | finger |