Where does “tommelfingerregel” come from?
tommelfingerregel (Danish) comes from Danish regel, from German rēgel, from Middle High German regel, from Old High German regula, from Latin rēgula, from Latin -ula, from Proto-Indo-European -tlom, from Proto-Indo-European -trom — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
tommelfingerregel (Danish): rule of thumb; a mnemonic for determining the...
Definitions
- rule of thumb; a mnemonic for determining the...
Ancestry of “tommelfingerregel”, step by step
tommelfingerregel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Danish regel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | regel | rule; regulation; precept |
| 2 | German | rēgel | rule |
| 3 | Middle High German | regel | — |
| 4 | Old High German | regula | — |
| 5 | Latin | rēgula | rule, bar |
| 6 | Latin | -ula | regō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
via Danish tommelfinger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danish | tommelfinger | thumb |
| 2 | Danish | tommel | a thumb |
| 3 | Old Norse | þumall | thumb |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þūmilaz | thumb-covering; thumb-sheath |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þūmô | thumb |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tūm- | to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |