Where does “deadbeat” come from?
deadbeat (English) comes from English dead, from English -en, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.
deadbeat (English): A lazy and/or irresponsible person who is often...
Definitions
- A lazy and/or irresponsible person who is often...
Ancestry of “deadbeat”, step by step
deadbeat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English dead
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dead | No longer living; Devoid of life; Figuratively,... |
| 2 | English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 3 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English beat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | beat | A stroke; a blow; A pulsation or throb; A pulse... |
| 2 | Middle English | beten | To beat; to repeatedly strike or hit |
| 3 | Old English | bēatan | to thrash, beat; to beat, pound, strike, lash,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | bautan | to beat |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bautaną | to beat, push |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewd- | to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |