Where does “voetslet” come from?

voetslet (Dutch) comes from Dutch voet, from Middle Dutch voet, from Old Dutch fuot, from Proto-West Germanic fōt, from Proto-Germanic fōts, from Proto-Indo-European pṓds, from Proto-Indo-European póds, from Proto-Indo-European ped- — to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall.

voetslet (Dutch): flunky, doormat

Definitions

  1. flunky, doormat

Ancestry of “voetslet”, step by step

voetslet traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch voet

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchvoetfoot; Dutch foot; imperial foot
2Middle Dutchvoetfoot; paw; foot, bottom part, base
3Old Dutchfuotfoot
4Proto-West Germanicfōtfoot
5Proto-Germanicfōtsfoot
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpṓdsfoot
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpódsfoot
8Proto-Indo-Europeanped-to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall

via Dutch slet

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchsletslut; rag, cloth
2Middle Dutchslette
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ped-