Where does “doggerel” come from?
Doggerel derives from Middle English doggerel, likely related to Middle English dogge, a dog, with the diminutive or derogatory suffix -rel, originally denoting verse considered as inferior or worthless as a dog.
doggerel (English): Of a crude or irregular construction; A comic or...
Definitions
- Of a crude or irregular construction; A comic or...
Ancestry of “doggerel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dog | A mammal, "Canis familiaris" or "Canis lupus... |
| 2 | English | dogshit | Dog excrement; Something disgusting, abominable,... |
| 3 | English | shit | Solid excretory product evacuated from the... |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | schite | — |
| 5 | Old Dutch | skīta | — |
| 6 | Old Saxon | skiti | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | skītaz | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱeyd- | to shade; to cut off; to part with, separate, cut... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱēy- | to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,... |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | skaidą | separation, distinction |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | skÁit- | to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,... |