Where does “brownie point” come from?

brownie point (English) comes from English brownnose, from English nose, from Middle English nōse, from Old French nous, from Latin nōs, from Proto-Italic nōs, from Proto-Indo-European wéy, from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ — I.

brownie point (English): Credit or praise for good work or a good deed,...

Definitions

  1. Credit or praise for good work or a good deed,...

Ancestry of “brownie point”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbrownnoseOne who brownnoses; one who sucks up; a...
2EnglishnoseA protuberance on the face housing the nostrils,...
3Middle Englishnōsenose
4Old FrenchnousAlternative form of nos
5Latinnōswe, us
6Proto-Italicnōswe
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwéywe
8Proto-Indo-Europeanéǵh₂I
Every word from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wéy →Every word from Proto-Italic nōs →