Where does “fotswæþ” come from?

fotswæþ (Old English) comes from Old English fōt, from Proto-West Germanic fōt, from Proto-Germanic fōts, from Proto-Indo-European pṓds, from Proto-Indo-European póds, from Proto-Indo-European ped- — to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall.

fotswæþ (Old English): footprint

Definitions

  1. footprint

Ancestry of “fotswæþ”, step by step

fotswæþ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English fōt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfōtfoot
2Proto-West Germanicfōtfoot
3Proto-Germanicfōtsfoot
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpṓdsfoot
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpódsfoot
6Proto-Indo-Europeanped-to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall

via Old English swæþ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishswæþtrack, trace; footprint; bandage; swathe
2Proto-Germanicswaþōa wind-swept place; open field; borderland;...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanswem(bʰ)-to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ped- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European póds →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pṓds →