Etymograph

English

ringtail

From ring + tail.

A compound of ring + tail

Proto-Indo-European *(s)krengʰ-

Proto-Germanic *hringaz

Proto-West Germanic *hring

Old English hring ‘ring’

Middle English ryng

English ring

Proto-Indo-European *deḱ- ‘to tear, fray, shred’

…

Proto-Germanic *taglą ‘hair, fiber’

Proto-West Germanic *tagl

Old English tæġel

Middle English tail

English tail

Today it means

noun A ring-tailed animal, notably: A North American ringtail, Bassariscus astutus

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ringtail”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / ringtail