Where does “feeble-minded” come from?
feeble-minded (English) comes from English minded, from English mind, from Middle English minde, from Old English mynd, from Proto-Germanic gamundiz, from Proto-Germanic ga-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm, from Proto-Indo-European ḱe — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
feeble-minded (English): Weak in intellectual power; lacking firmness or...
Definitions
- Weak in intellectual power; lacking firmness or...
Ancestry of “feeble-minded”, step by step
feeble-minded traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English minded
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | minded | Having a mind for something or a certain way of... |
| 2 | English | mind | The ability for rational thought; The ability to... |
| 3 | Middle English | minde | — |
| 4 | Old English | mynd | mind |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gamundiz | remembrance, memory; commemoration, memorial |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 9 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 10 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 11 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 12 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 13 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via English Feeble
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Feeble | Deficient in physical strength |
| 2 | Middle English | feble | Feeble, weak, or strengthless; Insidious,... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | feble | weak, feeble; weak; feeble |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | febelis | — |
| 5 | Latin | flēbilis | lamentable |
| 6 | Latin | fleō | to weep, cry |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | flēō | weep, cry |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰléh₁- | to bleat |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |