Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “frosting” come from?

Frosting comes from English frost plus the suffix -ing, which derives from Old English -ing, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European prews- meaning to freeze or burn.

frosting (English): A sugary coating for cakes and other baked goods;...

Definitions

  1. A sugary coating for cakes and other baked goods;...

Ancestry of “frosting”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
2Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
3Old English-tūn—
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “frosting”

  • frostinglike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →