beetle

beetle · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic*bitilô, *bītilaz
2. Proto-West Germanic*bitilō, *bītil
3. Old Englishbitula, bitela, bītel
4. Middle Englishbitle, bitel, bityl, bytylle
5. English todaybeetle

From Middle English bitle, bityl, bytylle, from Old English bitula, bitela, bītel (“beetle”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitilō, *bītil, from Proto-Germanic *bitilô, *bītilaz (“that which tends to bite, biter, beetle”), equivalent to bite + -le. Cognate with Old High German bicco (“beetle”), Danish bille (“beetle”), Icelandic bitil, bitul (“a bite, bit”), Faroese bitil (“small piece, bittock”).

beetle · adjective, verb²

1. Middle Englishbitel?
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₃bʰrúHs
3. Proto-Germanic*brūwō
4. Proto-West Germanic*brūu
5. Old Englishbrū
6. Middle Englishbrouwe
7. Middle Englishbrouwed
8. Middle Englishbitel-brouwed
9. English todaybeetle

From Middle English bitel-brouwed (“beetle-browed”). Possibly after beetle, from the fact that some beetles have bushy antennae.

beetle · noun, verb³

1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰew-der.?
2. Proto-Germanic*bautaną
3. Proto-Germanic*bautilaz
4. Proto-West Germanic*bautil
5. Old Englishbīetel
6. Old Englishbȳtel
7. Middle Englishbetel
8. English todaybeetle

From Middle English betel, from Old English bȳtel, bīetel (“hammer”), from Proto-West Germanic *bautil (“hammer, mallet”), equivalent to beat + -le. Cognate with Low German Bötel (“mallet”).

beetle · noun⁴

1. Tamil · derived fromவெற்றிலை
2. Malayalam · derived fromവെറ്റില
3. Portuguese · borrowed frombétele
4. English todaybeetle

Borrowed from Portuguese bétele, from Malayalam വെറ്റില (veṟṟila) or Tamil வெற்றிலை (veṟṟilai).

Beetle · noun⁵

1. German · calque ofKäfer
2. English todayBeetle

From beetle, as a calque of German Käfer.

Words from the same roots