Where does “starling” come from?
starling (Middle English) comes from Old English starlinc, 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 “starling”, step by step
starling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English starlinc
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | starlinc | — |
| 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 |
via Old English stærlinc
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | stærlinc | starling |