Where does “handkerchief” come from?
Handkerchief comes from Middle English handkerchief, combining hand from Old English hand, ultimately from Proto-Germanic hundą and Proto-Indo-European ḱm̥tóm, with kerchief from Old French couvre-chief.
handkerchief (English): A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine...
Definitions
- A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine...
Ancestry of “handkerchief”, step by step
handkerchief traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English kerchief
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | kerchief | A piece of cloth used to cover the head; a... |
| 2 | Middle English | keverchef | A headcloth or kerchief; a cover for the head usually of a woman |
| 3 | Old French | couvrechief | — |
| 4 | Old French | chief | head; leader, chief; front |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | capum | head, chief; head |
| 6 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |
via English Hand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hand | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals |
| 2 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 3 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 5 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 6 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 7 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |