Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fingering” come from?

Fingering derives from English finger, from Middle English finger, from Old English finger, from Proto-Germanic fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe, originally meaning five.

fingering (English): The act of using one's fingers in the playing of...

Definitions

  1. The act of using one's fingers in the playing of...

Ancestry of “fingering”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfingerA slender jointed extremity of the human hand, ...
2GermanFingerfinger
3Middle High Germanvinger—
4Old High Germanfingarfinger
5Proto-West Germanicfingrfinger
6Proto-Germanicfingrazfinger
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpenkʷrós—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European penkʷrós →