Where does “crackpot” come from?
crackpot (English) comes from English pot, from Middle English pot, from Old French pot, from Vulgar Latin pottum, from Frankish *pott, from Proto-Germanic puttaz, from Proto-Indo-European budn- — a kind of vessel; type of vessel; a type of...
crackpot (English): An eccentric, crazy or foolish person. A "kook";...
Definitions
- An eccentric, crazy or foolish person. A "kook";...
Ancestry of “crackpot”, step by step
crackpot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pot | A flat-bottomed vessel used for cooking food;... |
| 2 | Middle English | pot | A pot; a circular receptacle or vessel; The top... |
| 3 | Old French | pot | pot; third-person singular present indicative of... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | pottum | — |
| 5 | Frankish | *pott | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | puttaz | pot, jar, tub |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | budn- | a kind of vessel; type of vessel; a type of... |