Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chuck” come from?

Chuck is a diminutive of chick, itself from Middle English chick, derived from Old English cicen, ultimately from Proto-Germanic jainaz meaning young bird.

chuck (English): Meat from the shoulder of a cow or other animal;...

Definitions

  1. Meat from the shoulder of a cow or other animal;...

Ancestry of “chuck”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchockAny object used as a wedge or filler, especially...
2Frenchchoquerto hit, to collide; to shock
3Germanschockieren—
4Spanishchocarto crash; to bump into, to collide with; to...
5Portuguesechocarto brood; to hatch; to linger
6Russianшоки́ровать—
7Russian-и́ровать—
8German-ierenVerb suffix: it and its inflected forms are found...
9French-erForms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
10English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
11Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
12Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
13Latin-āre—
14Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
15Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
16Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
17Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
18Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “chuck”

  • hug
  • chuckle
  • chunk
  • chunky
  • chucking
  • hugger
  • huggable
  • chucker
  • huck
  • upchuck
  • huggy
  • huckle
  • chucklehead
  • chucky
  • chunker
  • chuckleheaded
  • chunkiness
  • kerchunk
  • chuckler
  • chuckhole
  • chunkily
  • hugfest
  • chucklesome
  • hucker
Every word from Chichewa iye →