Where does “chicken-heartedly” come from?
chicken-heartedly (English) comes from English chicken-hearted, from English Chicken, from English -en, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz — adjectival suffix.
chicken-heartedly (English): In a chicken-hearted manner; fearfully
Definitions
- In a chicken-hearted manner; fearfully
Ancestry of “chicken-heartedly”, step by step
chicken-heartedly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English chicken-hearted
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | chicken-hearted | Not brave; lacking courage; cowardly |
| 2 | English | Chicken | A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) |
| 3 | English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 5 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 6 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 7 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |