Where does “bad-looking” come from?

bad-looking (English) comes from English bad, from Middle English bad, from Old English bæd, from Old English biddan, from Proto-West Germanic biddjan, from Proto-Germanic bidjaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰidʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰeydʰ- — to compel, force; to trust.

bad-looking (English): Not pleasing to the eye; unattractive

Definitions

  1. Not pleasing to the eye; unattractive

Ancestry of “bad-looking”, step by step

bad-looking traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bad

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbadUnfavorable; negative; not good; Not suitable or...
2Middle Englishbad
3Old Englishbædfirst/third-person singular preterite of biddan
4Old Englishbiddanto ask; to beg
5Proto-West Germanicbiddjanto ask, to make a request
6Proto-Germanicbidjanąto make a request; to ask; to request, ask
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰidʰ-to command; pot, bucket, barrel
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeydʰ-to compel, force; to trust

via English looking

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishlookingpresent participle of look; as the last part of...
2Middle EnglishlokyngeVision, sight; visual perception
3Old Englishlōciende
4Old Englishlōcianto look, see; to see, behold, look, gaze,...
5Proto-West Germaniclōkōnto look, see
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeydʰ-Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰidʰ-Every word from Proto-Germanic bidjaną
bad-looking — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer