Where does “facesaving” come from?

facesaving (English) comes from English saving, from English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum — smoke; mist, haze.

facesaving (English): That prevents loss of face and maintains one's...

Definitions

  1. That prevents loss of face and maintains one's...

Ancestry of “facesaving”, step by step

facesaving traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English saving

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsavingA reduction in cost or expenditure
2English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
3Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
4Old English-tūnhomestead, village, town
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English face

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfaceThe front part of the head of a human or other...
2Middle Englishfaceface; Alternative form of fass
3Old Frenchfaceface
4Late Latinfacia
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-