Where does “betwixtness” come from?
betwixtness (English) comes from English betwixt, from Middle English bitwixe, from Old English betwēox, from Old English be-, from Old English hrōpan, from Proto-West Germanic hrōpan, from Proto-Germanic hrōpaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer- — army.
betwixtness (English): The state or quality of being betwixt
Definitions
- The state or quality of being betwixt
Ancestry of “betwixtness”, step by step
betwixtness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English betwixt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | betwixt | Between, specifically between two objects |
| 2 | Middle English | bitwixe | In the position that separates (two things); in the middle |
| 3 | Old English | betwēox | between |
| 4 | Old English | be- | a productive prefix usually used to form verbs... |
| 5 | Old English | hrōpan | to shout, proclaim; cry out, scream, howl; to cry... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | hrōpan | to cry out, to call, to shout |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | hrōpaną | to cry out, call, shout |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |