Where does “cringeling” come from?
cringeling (English) comes from English cringe, from Middle English crengen, from Old English crengan, from Proto-West Germanic *krangijan, from Proto-Germanic krangijaną, from Proto-Germanic kringaną, from Proto-Indo-European ger- — to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...
cringeling (English): One who cringes and fawns; a submissive toady
Definitions
- One who cringes and fawns; a submissive toady
Ancestry of “cringeling”, step by step
cringeling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cringe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cringe | A posture or gesture of shrinking or recoiling; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | crengen | to bend haughtily, condescend |
| 3 | Old English | crengan | to cause to fall, turn |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *krangijan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | krangijaną | to make turn, fall |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kringaną | to turn, fall, yield |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |