Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Mexican standoff” come from?

Mexican standoff (English) comes from English Mexican, from Czech -an, from Old Czech -ěnín, from Proto-Slavic -janinъ, from Proto-Slavic -inъ, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.

Mexican standoff (English): A stalemate, or a confrontation among two or more...

Definitions

  1. A stalemate, or a confrontation among two or more...

Ancestry of “Mexican standoff”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMexicanA Mexica; an Aztec; The Nahuatl language; A...
2Czech-anForms nouns, including inhabitant names
3Old Czech-ěnín—
4Proto-Slavic-janinъCreates male dweller terms from toponyms or place...
5Proto-Slavic-inъ-ine; Creates singulatives, mostly with...
6Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
7Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →