Where does “cowardish” come from?
cowardish (English) comes from English Coward, from Middle English coward, from Old French coart, from Old French -ard, from Frankish -hard, from Proto-Germanic harduz, from Proto-Indo-European kert-, from Proto-Turkic *keŕ- — to travel, tour.
cowardish (English): cowardly
Definitions
- cowardly
Ancestry of “cowardish”, step by step
cowardish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Coward
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Coward | A person who lacks courage |
| 2 | Middle English | coward | coward, knave |
| 3 | Old French | coart | a coward; cowardly |
| 4 | Old French | -ard | pejorative agent noun |
| 5 | Frankish | -hard | hardy, bold |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | harduz | hard; brave |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kert- | times; to weave, twist together; time |
| 8 | Proto-Turkic | *keŕ- | to travel, tour |
via English ish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ish | Pronunciation spelling of is; somewhat,... |
| 2 | English | -ish | Typical of, similar to, being like; Somewhat,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ish | Alternative form of -yssh |
| 4 | Old English | -isċ | -ish |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -isk | Creates adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -iskaz | Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iskos | Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to |