"heifer, young cow that has not had a calf," Scottish and Northern English dialect, late 14c. (c. 1300 in surnames), quie, from Old Norse kviga, apparently from ku "cow" (compare Danish kvie; see cow (n.)).

1832, "one who digs clams from rivers and seashores," from clam (n.) + digger. Clam-diggers as a style of women's casual pants hemmed at mid-calf (supposedly resembling styles worn by those digging clams in mud) is by 1995.

*perə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to produce, procure" and yielding and derived words in diverse senses; possibly related to *pere- (2) "to grant, allot."

It forms all or part of: ante-partum; apparatus; apparel; biparous; disparate; emperor; empire; heifer; imperative; imperator; imperial; juniper; multiparous; nulliparous; oviparous; para- (2) "defense, protection against; that which protects from;" Parabellum; parachute; parade; parados; parapet; parasol; pare; parent; -parous; parry; parturient; poor; post-partum; preparation; prepare; primipara; puerperal; rampart; repair (v.1) "to mend, put back in order;" repertory; separate; sever; several; spar (v.); viper; vituperation; viviparous.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit prthukah "child, calf, young of an animal;" Greek poris "calf, bull;" Latin parare "make ready, prepare," parire "produce, bring forth, give birth to;" Czech spratek "brat, urchin, premature calf;" Lithuanian periu, perėti "to brood;" Old High German farro, German Farre "bullock," Old English fearr "bull."

"inner membrane in the stomach of an unweaned calf or other animal," used for making cheese, etc.; also the mass of curdled milk found in the stomach, mid-15c., probably from an unrecorded Old English *rynet, related to gerennan "cause to run together," because it makes milk run or curdle; from Proto-Germanic *rannijanan, causative of *renwanan "to run" (from PIE root *rei- "to run, flow"). Compare German rinnen "to run," gerinnen "to curdle." Hence, "anything used to curdle milk."