Where does “bull-necked” come from?
bull-necked (English) comes from English necked, from English neck, from Middle English nekke, from Old English hnecca, from Proto-West Germanic *hnakkō, from Proto-Germanic hnakkô, from Proto-Indo-European knog-, from Proto-Indo-European ken- — to arise, begin.
bull-necked (English): Having a short and thick neck, like that of a...
Definitions
- Having a short and thick neck, like that of a...
Ancestry of “bull-necked”, step by step
bull-necked traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English necked
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | necked | Having some specific type of neck; Cracked;... |
| 2 | English | neck | The part of the body connecting the head and the... |
| 3 | Middle English | nekke | neck |
| 4 | Old English | hnecca | back of the neck; back of the head; neck |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *hnakkō | nape |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hnakkô | the back of the neck; nape |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | knog- | back of the head, nape, neck |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ken- | to arise, begin |
via English bull
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bull | An adult male of domesticated cattle or oxen; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | bole | bull, steer, male cow; A heraldic bull; Taurus |
| 3 | Old English | bula | bull, steer |
| 4 | Old Norse | boli | bull |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bulô | bull |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰl̥no- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |