Where does “plumage” come from?
plumage (Old French) comes from Old French plume, from Latin plūma, from Proto-Italic plouksmā, from Proto-Indo-European plúnksneh₂, from Proto-Indo-European plú-n-k-, from Proto-Indo-European plewk-, from Proto-Indo-European plew- — to fly, flow, run.
Ancestry of “plumage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | plume | feather; plume |
| 2 | Latin | plūma | — |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | plouksmā | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | plúnksneh₂ | feather |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | plú-n-k- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | plewk- | to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |
Words derived from “plumage”