Where does “bah humbug” come from?
bah humbug (English) comes from English humbug, from English hummer, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
bah humbug (English): 1848 January 22, “Important Official Documents”,...
Definitions
- 1848 January 22, “Important Official Documents”,...
Ancestry of “bah humbug”, step by step
bah humbug traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English humbug
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | humbug | A hoax, jest, or prank |
| 2 | English | hummer | One who hums; A Humvee; A type of vehicle... |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 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 |