Where does “gobsmackingly” come from?
gobsmackingly (English) comes from English gobsmacking, from English smacking, from English smack, from Dutch smakken, from Dutch en, from Middle Dutch ende, from Old Dutch endi, from Proto-West Germanic andī — on, onto.
gobsmackingly (English): astonishingly; amazingly
Ancestry of “gobsmackingly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | gobsmacking | Causing one to be gobsmacked; astounding,... |
| 2 | English | smacking | present participle of smack; A series of smacks;... |
| 3 | English | smack | A distinct flavor, especially if slight; A slight... |
| 4 | Dutch | smakken | to smack, to crash hard; to make noise while... |
| 5 | Dutch | en | and; well, so; plus, and |
| 6 | Middle Dutch | ende | and; end |
| 7 | Old Dutch | endi | end |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | andī | end |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | andijaz | end |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂entíos | front; forehead |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |