Where does “great toenail” come from?
great toenail (English) comes from English toenail, from English toe, from Middle English to, from Middle English tone, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος, from Proto-Hellenic tónos, from Proto-Indo-European tónos — to stretch, to extend.
Ancestry of “great toenail”, step by step
great toenail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English toenail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | toenail | The thin, horny, transparent plate covering the... |
| 2 | English | toe | Each of the five digits on the end of the foot;... |
| 3 | Middle English | to | toe; to; too |
| 4 | Middle English | tone | the one |
| 5 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |