Where does “erthling” come from?
erthling (Middle English) comes from Old English ierþling, from Old English -ling, from Old English lang, from Proto-West Germanic lang, from Proto-Germanic langaz, from Proto-Indo-European dlongʰos — long.
Ancestry of “erthling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | ierþling | — |
| 2 | Old English | -ling | adverbial suffix denoting direction, state or... |
| 3 | Old English | lang | long; lasting; old, ancient; advanced |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | lang | long |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | langaz | long |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dlongʰos | long |
Words derived from “erthling”