Where does “big toenail” come from?
big toenail (English) comes from English toenail, from English toe, from Middle English to, from Middle English tone, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος, from Proto-Hellenic tónos, from Proto-Indo-European tónos — to stretch, to extend.
big toenail (English): The nail of the big toe
Definitions
- The nail of the big toe
Ancestry of “big toenail”, step by step
big toenail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English toenail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | toenail | The thin, horny, transparent plate covering the... |
| 2 | English | toe | Each of the five digits on the end of the foot;... |
| 3 | Middle English | to | toe; to; too |
| 4 | Middle English | tone | the one |
| 5 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |
via English big toe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | big toe | The largest of the toes of a human and some other... |
| 2 | English | big | Of great size, large; Thought to have undue... |
| 3 | Middle English | big | — |
| 4 | Middle English | biggen | build; dwell |
| 5 | Old Norse | byggja | to settle, build; to inhabit, dwell, live; to let... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | būwijaną | to settle, to inhabit |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | būaną | to dwell, reside |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuH- | to become, grow, appear |