Where does “cute” come from?
cute (Danish) comes from English cute, from English acūte, from French aigu, from German akut, from Italian acuto, from Russian аку́т, from Spanish agudo, from Latin acūtus — sharp.
cute (Danish): cute, adorable; sweet, attractive
Definitions
- cute, adorable; sweet, attractive
Ancestry of “cute”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | cute | Possessing physical features, behaviors,... |
| 2 | English | acūte | — |
| 3 | French | aigu | sharp, pointy; acute, keen, discerning; sharp,... |
| 4 | German | akut | acute; severe |
| 5 | Italian | acuto | acute; sharp; high-pitched, high, shrill |
| 6 | Russian | аку́т | — |
| 7 | Spanish | agudo | sharp, pointed, acute; acute, sharp, witty, keen;... |
| 8 | Latin | acūtus | — |
| 9 | Latin | acuō | — |
| 10 | Latin | acus | a needle, a pin; bodkin; bran, awn, chaff |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | akus | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱus | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱ- | sharp |