Etymology Explorer › English

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

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsavingA reduction in cost or expenditure; Something ...
2English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
3Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
4Old English-tūn—
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →