Where does “Uncle Scam” come from?
Uncle Scam (English) comes from English scam, from English scamp, from Middle Dutch schampen, from Old French escamper, from Vulgar Latin excappare, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
Uncle Scam (English): Uncle Sam
Definitions
- Uncle Sam
Ancestry of “Uncle Scam”, step by step
Uncle Scam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English scam
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | scam | A fraudulent deal; Something that is promoted... |
| 2 | English | scamp | A rascal, swindler, or rogue; a ne'er-do-well; A... |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | schampen | slip away |
| 4 | Old French | escamper | to run away, to make one's escape |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | excappare | present active infinitive of *excappō;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English Uncle Sam
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Uncle Sam | A personification of the United States federal government or citizens |
| 2 | English | SAM | Initialism of surface-to-air missile; Initialism... |
| 3 | Middle English | sām | together |
| 4 | Old English | sāmen | together |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | saman | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | samanai | at one; together |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |