Where does “Micawberish” come from?
Micawberish (English) comes from English ish, from English -ish, from Middle English -ish, from Old English -isċ, from Proto-West Germanic -isk, from Proto-Germanic -iskaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iskos — Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to.
Ancestry of “Micawberish”, step by step
Micawberish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ish | Pronunciation spelling of is; somewhat,... |
| 2 | English | -ish | Typical of, similar to, being like; Somewhat,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ish | Alternative form of -yssh |
| 4 | Old English | -isċ | -ish |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -isk | Creates adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -iskaz | Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iskos | Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to |
via English Micawber
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Micawber | A person who is poor but eternally optimistic, believing that "something will turn up", like the fictional character Wilkins Micawber in the 1850 Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield |
| 2 | Old Irish | macc | son; child |
| 3 | Primitive Irish | ᚋᚐᚊᚊᚔ | Alternative form of ᚋᚐᚊᚔ |
| 4 | Proto-Celtic | makkʷos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | meh₂ḱ- | to raise, increase; long |