Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chicken-heartedness” come from?

chicken-heartedness (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-heartedness (English): The quality of being chicken-hearted; cowardice

Definitions

  1. The quality of being chicken-hearted; cowardice

Ancestry of “chicken-heartedness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishchicken-heartedNot brave; lacking courage; cowardly
2EnglishChicken—
3English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
4Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
5Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
6Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
7Proto-Norse-īna-—
8Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
9Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
10Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →