Where does “circlejerk” come from?
circlejerk (English) comes from English circle, from Middle English circle, from Old French cercle, from Latin circulus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
circlejerk (English): Alternative spelling of circle jerk
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of circle jerk
Ancestry of “circlejerk”, step by step
circlejerk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English circle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | circle | A two-dimensional geometric figure, a line,... |
| 2 | Middle English | circle | — |
| 3 | Old French | cercle | circle |
| 4 | Latin | circulus | circle; An orbit; A ring, hoop |
| 5 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |