Where does “chickenshit” come from?
chickenshit (English) comes from English shit, from Middle Dutch schite, from Old Dutch skīta, from Old Saxon skiti, from Proto-Germanic skītaz, from Proto-Indo-European sḱeyd-, from Proto-Indo-European sḱēy-, from Proto-Germanic skaidą — to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,...
chickenshit (English): Petty and contemptible; contemptibly unimportant;...
Definitions
- Petty and contemptible; contemptibly unimportant;...
Ancestry of “chickenshit”, step by step
chickenshit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English shit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shit | Solid excretory product evacuated from the... |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | schite | — |
| 3 | Old Dutch | skīta | — |
| 4 | Old Saxon | skiti | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skītaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱeyd- | to shade; to cut off; to part with, separate, cut... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱēy- | to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | skaidą | separation, distinction |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | skÁit- | to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,... |
via English Chicken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Chicken | A domesticated subspecies of red junglefowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) |
| 2 | English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 3 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |