Where does “addlehead” come from?

addlehead (English) comes from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

addlehead (English): A foolish or dull-witted person

Definitions

  1. A foolish or dull-witted person

Ancestry of “addlehead”, step by step

addlehead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English head

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheadThe part of the body of an animal or human which...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English addle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishaddleTo earn, earn by labor; earn money or one's...
2Middle Englishaddlen
3Old NorseǫðlaskTo gain possession of property
4Proto-Germanic*ōþalōnąto inherit, to acquire by inheriting
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos