Where does “chit-chat” come from?
chit-chat (English) comes from English chat, from English chatter, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
chit-chat (English): Light conversation; casual talk, usually about...
Definitions
- Light conversation; casual talk, usually about...
Ancestry of “chit-chat”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | chat | To be engaged in informal conversation; To talk... |
| 2 | English | chatter | Talk, especially meaningless or unimportant talk;... |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
Words derived from “chit-chat”