Where does “oxtonge” come from?
oxtonge (Middle English) comes from Middle English oxe, from Old English oxa, from Proto-West Germanic ohsō, from Proto-Germanic uhsô, from Proto-Indo-European uksḗn, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ug-s-ḗn.
oxtonge (Middle English): bugloss (Anchusa arvensis or a similar plant)
Definitions
- bugloss (Anchusa arvensis or a similar plant)
Ancestry of “oxtonge”, step by step
oxtonge traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English oxe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | oxe | ox |
| 2 | Old English | oxa | ox |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | ohsō | ox |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | uhsô | ox |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | uksḗn | bull |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ug-s-ḗn | — |
via Middle English tonge
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tonge | Alternative form of tung |
| 2 | Old English | tung | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | tungā | tongue; speech, language |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | tungǭ | tongue; speech, language |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s | tongue |