Where does “ear-piercing” come from?
ear-piercing (English) comes from English piercing, from English pierce, from Middle English perce, from Old French percier, from Latin pertusiāre, from Latin pertūsus, from Latin pertundere, from Latin pertundo — to praise, laud.
ear-piercing (English): extremely loud; A piercing in the ear
Definitions
- extremely loud; A piercing in the ear
Ancestry of “ear-piercing”, step by step
ear-piercing traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English piercing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | piercing | present participle of pierce; The action of the... |
| 2 | English | pierce | to puncture; to break through; to create a hole... |
| 3 | Middle English | perce | pierce |
| 4 | Old French | percier | to pierce |
| 5 | Latin | pertusiāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | pertūsus | perforated |
| 7 | Latin | pertundere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | pertundo | I bore through, perforate |
| 9 | Latin | tundo | I beat, strike, buffet; I pound, bruise, crush,... |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | tundō | beat, strike |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewd- | to push, to hit |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | stew- | to praise, laud |
via English ear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ear | The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna,... |
| 2 | Middle English | ēre | The ear organ that receives sound |
| 3 | Old English | ēare | ear |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | auʀā | ear |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ausô | ear |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ṓws | ear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ew- | to enjoy; to consume; to perceive, see, to be... |