Where does “fiddleheaded” come from?

fiddleheaded (English) comes from English headed, from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

fiddleheaded (English): Having confused or foolish notions

Definitions

  1. Having confused or foolish notions

Ancestry of “fiddleheaded”, step by step

fiddleheaded traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English headed

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheadedOf a sheet of paper: having the sender's name,...
2EnglishheadThe part of the body of an animal or human which...
3English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
4Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
5Old English-iġ-y, -ic
6Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
7Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
8Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English fiddle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfiddleAny of various bowed string instruments, often a...
2Middle EnglishfiþeleA string instrument played with a bow; a viol
3Old Englishfiþelefiddle, viol, violin
4Medieval Latinvitulastringed instrument
5LatinVitulathe Roman goddess of joy and victory. See
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱosEvery word from English -yEvery word from Old English -iġ