Where does “grand fromage” come from?
grand fromage (English) comes from English big cheese, from English big, from Middle English big, from Middle English biggen, from Old Norse byggja, from Proto-Germanic būwijaną, from Proto-Germanic būaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- — to become, grow, appear.
grand fromage (English): A big cheese; an important person
Definitions
- A big cheese; an important person
Ancestry of “grand fromage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | big cheese | A very important figure, especially a... |
| 2 | English | big | Of great size, large; Thought to have undue... |
| 3 | Middle English | big | — |
| 4 | Middle English | biggen | build; dwell |
| 5 | Old Norse | byggja | to settle, build; to inhabit, dwell, live; to let... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | būwijaną | to settle, to inhabit |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | būaną | to dwell, reside |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuH- | to become, grow, appear |