Where does “clown” come from?
Clown comes from English clowne, a word of uncertain origin and meaning.
clown (English): A slapstick performance artist often associated...
Definitions
- A slapstick performance artist often associated...
Ancestry of “clown”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | clowne | — |
| 2 | Old Welsh | *Colün | — |
| 3 | Old English | īeġ | island |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | auwju | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | awjō | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | agwjō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |
Words derived from “clown”