Where does “buck” come from?
Buck derives from Middle Dutch bucken, Old English bucc, and Proto-Indo-European bʰōw- and bʰuǵ-, with a possible distant relation to Proto-North Caucasian bVχc̣V.
buck (English): A male deer, antelope, sheep, goat, rabbit, hare,...
Definitions
- A male deer, antelope, sheep, goat, rabbit, hare,...
Ancestry of “buck”, step by step
buck traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English bukke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bukke | male goat; male deer or roe |
| 2 | Old English | būc | belly, stomach; belly, stomach, pitcher; belly,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *būk | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | būkaz | belly, abdomen; body |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōw- | to inflate, swell; to swell, grow, thrive, be,... |
via Middle Low German bûk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Low German | bûk | stomach, belly, abdomen, torso |
| 2 | Old Saxon | būk | — |
via Middle English bouk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bouk | belly, stomach; body; The main portion of a... |