Where does “clocksucker” come from?
clocksucker (English) comes from English clock, from Middle English clokke, from Middle Dutch clocke, from Old Dutch *clocca, from Proto-West Germanic *klokkā, from Medieval Latin clocca, from Old Irish cloc, from Proto-Celtic klokkos.
clocksucker (English): A time-waster
Definitions
- A time-waster
Ancestry of “clocksucker”, step by step
clocksucker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English clock
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | clock | An instrument used to measure or keep track of... |
| 2 | Middle English | clokke | clock, timekeeping device |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | clocke | bell; something bell-shaped |
| 4 | Old Dutch | *clocca | bell |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *klokkā | bell |
| 6 | Medieval Latin | clocca | bell; travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so... |
| 7 | Old Irish | cloc | bell; clock |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | klokkos | bell |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | klēg- | — |
via English sucker
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sucker | A person or animal that sucks, especially a... |
| 2 | English | suck | An instance of drawing something into one's mouth... |
| 3 | Middle English | souken | To suck; to extract or draw with the mouth; To... |
| 4 | Old English | sūcan | to suck |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | sūkan | to suck; to suckle |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sūkaną | to suck; to suckle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sug- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sew- | to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to... |