Where does “empty-headed” come from?
empty-headed (English) comes from English empty, from Middle English emty, from Old English ēmtiġ, from Old English ǣmettiġ, from Proto-Germanic uz-, from Proto-Indo-European uss-, from Proto-Indo-European uds-, from Proto-Indo-European úd — out, outward.
empty-headed (English): silly and lacking sense or discretion;...
Definitions
- silly and lacking sense or discretion;...
Ancestry of “empty-headed”, step by step
empty-headed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English empty
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | empty | Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody;... |
| 2 | Middle English | emty | empty, vacant; weak, ineffective; worthless,... |
| 3 | Old English | ēmtiġ | — |
| 4 | Old English | ǣmettiġ | vacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | uz- | up, out |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | uss- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | uds- | up, out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |
via English headed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | headed | Of a sheet of paper: having the sender's name,... |
| 2 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 3 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 4 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 5 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |