Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “big-ass” come from?

big-ass (English) comes from English -ass, from English ass, from Middle English asse, from Old English assa, from Old English assen, from Latin asinus, from Latin acinus, from Latin acies — sharp.

big-ass (English): Very large, expansive, fat, impressive, muscular,...

Definitions

  1. Very large, expansive, fat, impressive, muscular,...

Ancestry of “big-ass”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-assUsed to intensify an adjective; Used to convert...
2EnglishassAny of several species of horse-like animals,...
3Middle EnglishasseAlternative form of axen
4Old Englishassa—
5Old Englishassenshe-ass
6Latinasinusa donkey, an ass; an ass, an idiot, a dolt, a...
7Latinacinusa berry, especially the grape; the seed of a...
8Latinaciessharp edge or point; battle line; battle,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eḱ-sharp
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- →