Where does “selkie-wife” come from?
selkie-wife (Scots) comes from Scots selkie, from Scots -ie, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
selkie-wife (Scots): a female selkie; mermaid
Definitions
- a female selkie; mermaid
Ancestry of “selkie-wife”, step by step
selkie-wife traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Scots selkie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scots | selkie | Diminutive of selch; seal; grey seal, common seal |
| 2 | Scots | -ie | -y |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |