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
- Credit or praise for good work or a good deed,...
Ancestry of “brownie point”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | brownnose | One who brownnoses; one who sucks up; a... |
| 2 | English | nose | A protuberance on the face housing the nostrils,... |
| 3 | Middle English | nōse | nose |
| 4 | Old French | nous | Alternative form of nos |
| 5 | Latin | nōs | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | nōs | we |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wéy | we |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | éǵh₂ | I |