Where does “gumshoe” come from?
gumshoe (English) comes from English gum, from Middle English gomme, from Old English guma, from Proto-Germanic gumô, from Proto-Indo-European dʰǵʰm̥mō, from Proto-Indo-European dʰéǵʰōm, from Proto-Indo-European -ōm, from Proto-Indo-European -mi.
gumshoe (English): A sneaker or rubber overshoe; A detective; To act...
Definitions
- A sneaker or rubber overshoe; A detective; To act...
Ancestry of “gumshoe”, step by step
gumshoe traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gum | The flesh around the teeth; To chew, especially... |
| 2 | Middle English | gomme | Alternative form of gome; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Old English | guma | man, hero |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | gumô | man |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰǵʰm̥mō | earthling, human |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰéǵʰōm | earth |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ōm | emphatic suffix or postpositive particle |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -mi | — |
via English shoe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shoe | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom... |
| 2 | German | Schuh | shoe |
| 3 | Middle High German | schuo | — |
| 4 | Old High German | scuoh | shoe |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | skōh | shoe |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skōhaz | shoe |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | skewk- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kew- | to caw, to howl; to cover, hide; to cover, hide,... |