Where does “beef-brained” come from?
beef-brained (English) comes from English beef, from Middle English bef, from Old French buef, from Latin bōs, from Ancient Greek βοῦς, from Latin corvus, from Proto-Italic korwos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱorh₂wós — army.
Ancestry of “beef-brained”, step by step
beef-brained traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English beef
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | beef | The meat from a cow, bull, or other bovine; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | bef | beef; cow flesh or meat; A bovine or its carcass |
| 3 | Old French | buef | cow |
| 4 | Latin | bōs | head of cattle (cow, bull, steer, or ox) |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | βοῦς | cow, ox, cattle; shield: ὃτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι... |
| 6 | Latin | corvus | A raven; a bird associated with prophecy and... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | korwos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂wós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via English brained
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | brained | Having a particular kind or number of brain;... |
| 2 | English | brain | The control center of the central nervous system... |
| 3 | Middle English | brayn | The brain or cerebrum; the organ of thought;... |
| 4 | Old English | bræġn | brain |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *bragn | brain |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bragną | brain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mregʰnom | skull, brain |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |