Where does “couth” come from?
couth (English) comes from English uncouth, from Middle English uncouth, from Old English uncūþ, from Proto-West Germanic *unkunþ, from Proto-Germanic unkunþaz, from Proto-Germanic un-, from Proto-Indo-European n̥-, from Proto-Indo-European ne — not.
couth (English): Familiar, known; well-known, renowned; "Variant...
Definitions
- Familiar, known; well-known, renowned; "Variant...
Ancestry of “couth”, step by step
couth traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English uncouth
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | uncouth | Unfamiliar, strange, foreign; Clumsy, awkward;... |
| 2 | Middle English | uncouth | — |
| 3 | Old English | uncūþ | unknown; unfamiliar; strange |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *unkunþ | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | unkunþaz | unknown |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | un- | not, un- |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | n̥- | not, un- |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ne | not |
via Middle English cǒuth
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cǒuth | couth; familiar, known; well-known, renowned |
| 2 | Old English | cūþ | known; familiar, intimate, known, usual; certain,... |
| 3 | Old English | cunnan | to know, to be familiar with; can, to know how |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | kunnan | to recognise; to know how, to be able |