Where does “humbul-be” come from?
humbul-be (Middle English) comes from Middle English humble, from Old French humble, from Latin humilis, from Latin -ilis, from Proto-Italic -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -elis, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
humbul-be (Middle English): bumblebee
Definitions
- bumblebee
Ancestry of “humbul-be”, step by step
humbul-be traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English humble
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | humble | — |
| 2 | Old French | humble | Alternative form of umble |
| 3 | Latin | humilis | low, lowly, small, slight; shallow; base, mean,... |
| 4 | Latin | -ilis | -ile |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -elis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -elis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via Middle English be
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | be | Alternative form of been; Alternative form of... |
| 2 | Old English | bēo | I become, I will be, I am; bee |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | biumi | first-person singular present active indicative... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *beuną | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |