Where does “frostnip” come from?
frostnip (English) comes from English NIP, from English nipperkin, from Middle Dutch nipen, from Old Dutch nīpen, from Proto-Germanic *hnīpan, from Proto-Germanic hnīpaną, from Proto-Indo-European kneybʰ-.
frostnip (English): The first stage of frostbite
Definitions
- The first stage of frostbite
Ancestry of “frostnip”, step by step
frostnip traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English NIP
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | NIP | Abbreviation of non-native invasive plant;... |
| 2 | English | nipperkin | A small cup or other vessel, of perhaps 1/8 pint... |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | nipen | to pinch, to squeeze |
| 4 | Old Dutch | nīpen | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *hnīpan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hnīpaną | to pinch, to squeeze |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kneybʰ- | — |
via English Frost
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Frost | A cover of minute ice crystals on objects that are exposed to the air. Frost is formed by the same process as dew, except that the temperature of the frosted object is below freezing |
| 2 | Middle English | frost | Cold, freezing, or frosty weather; weather that... |
| 3 | Old English | frost | produced by metathesis |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | prustós | frost |