Where does “finger-wag” come from?
finger-wag (English) comes from English WAG, from Old Norse vága, from Middle Low German wāgen, from Old Saxon wagan, from Proto-West Germanic wagn, from Proto-Germanic wagnaz, from Proto-Indo-European woǵʰnos, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- — to bring; to transport.
finger-wag (English): To move the index finger horizontally back and...
Definitions
- To move the index finger horizontally back and...
Ancestry of “finger-wag”, step by step
finger-wag traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English WAG
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | WAG | A wild-assed guess; a rough estimate; A wife or... |
| 2 | Old Norse | vága | — |
| 3 | Middle Low German | wāgen | — |
| 4 | Old Saxon | wagan | wagon, carriage |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wagn | cart, wagon |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wagnaz | cart, wagon |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | woǵʰnos | wagon, primitive carriage |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |
via English finger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | finger | A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other animals |
| 2 | German | Finger | finger |
| 3 | Middle High German | vinger | finger |
| 4 | Old High German | fingar | finger |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | fingr | finger |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fingraz | finger |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | penkʷrós | — |