English
tarball
From tar + ball.
Proto-Indo-European *dór
Proto-Germanic *terwą
Proto-West Germanic *teru ‘tar, resin’
Old English teoru ‘tar, resin’
Middle English ter ‘Tar or a similar substance’
English tar
Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- ‘to blow’
Proto-Germanic *balluz ‘round object’
Old English *beall
Middle English bal ‘a ball’
English ball
Today it means
noun A ball of tar or crude oil found on a beach.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / tarball