Where does “hawkish” come from?
Hawkish derives from Middle English -isch, Old English hafoc, Frankish happja, and Proto-Germanic habukaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p-, meaning to seize or grasp.
hawkish (English): Supportive of warlike foreign policy; bellicose;...
Definitions
- Supportive of warlike foreign policy; bellicose;...
Ancestry of “hawkish”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hawk | A diurnal predatory bird of the family... |
| 2 | English | hawker | A peddler, huckster, who travels about to sell... |
| 3 | Middle Low German | hȫker | peddler |
| 4 | Old High German | huchan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkan- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkkan- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *huk(k)ōn- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *kuk-néh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewk- | flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten |