Where does “duckspeak” come from?
duckspeak (English) comes from English speak, from Middle English speke, from Old English specan, from Old English sprecan, from Proto-West Germanic *sprekan, from Proto-Germanic sprekaną, from Proto-Indo-European spreg- — to make a sound, speak; to make a sound, utter,...
duckspeak (English): Thoughtless or formulaic speech
Definitions
- Thoughtless or formulaic speech
Ancestry of “duckspeak”, step by step
duckspeak traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English speak
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | speak | To communicate with one's voice, to say words out... |
| 2 | Middle English | speke | — |
| 3 | Old English | specan | Alternative form of sprecan; to speak |
| 4 | Old English | sprecan | to speak, talk |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *sprekan | to speak |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sprekaną | to speak, to make a noise |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | spreg- | to make a sound, speak; to make a sound, utter,... |
via English Duck
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Duck | To quickly lower (the head or body), often in order to prevent it from being struck by something |
| 2 | Dutch | doek | cloth, linen, fabric; a piece of cloth; screen,... |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | doec | cloth |
| 4 | Old Dutch | duok | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | dōk | cloth, rag |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | dōkaz | cloth, rag |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dwōg- | — |