Where does “головоногий” come from?

головоногий (Russian) comes from Russian голова́, from Old East Slavic голова, from Proto-Slavic golvà, from Proto-Balto-Slavic galˀwā́ˀ, from Proto-Indo-European gelH- — naked; head.

головоногий (Russian): cephalopod type of mollusk

Definitions

  1. cephalopod type of mollusk

Ancestry of “головоногий”, step by step

головоногий traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Russian голова́

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianголова́head; mind, brains; head
2Old East Slavicголова—
3Proto-Slavicgolvàhead
4Proto-Balto-Slavicgalˀwā́ˀhead
5Proto-Indo-EuropeangelH-naked; head

via Russian нога́

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Russianнога́foot, leg; legs; leg
2Old East Slavicногаleg
3Proto-Slavicnogàfoot, leg
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃nogʰ-claw, nail; nail
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gelH- →Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic galˀwā́ˀ →Every word from Proto-Slavic golvà →