Where does “Uncle Sucker” come from?
Uncle Sucker (English) comes from English sucker, from English suck, from Middle English souken, from Old English sūcan, from Proto-West Germanic sūkan, from Proto-Germanic sūkaną, from Proto-Indo-European sug-, from Proto-Indo-European sew- — to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to...
Uncle Sucker (English): A personification of the United States federal government, regarded as being exploited by unscrupulous citizens or businesses
Definitions
- A personification of the United States federal government, regarded as being exploited by unscrupulous citizens or businesses
Ancestry of “Uncle Sucker”, step by step
Uncle Sucker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sucker
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sucker | A person or animal that sucks, especially a... |
| 2 | English | suck | An instance of drawing something into one's mouth... |
| 3 | Middle English | souken | To suck; to extract or draw with the mouth; To... |
| 4 | Old English | sūcan | to suck |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | sūkan | to suck; to suckle |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sūkaną | to suck; to suckle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sug- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sew- | to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to... |
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 |