Where does “headache” come from?
Headache comes from Middle English hevedeche, from Old English hēafodeċe, literally meaning head pain.
headache (English): A pain or ache in the head; A nuisance or...
Definitions
- A pain or ache in the head; A nuisance or...
Ancestry of “headache”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hevedeche | — |
| 2 | Old English | hēafodeċe | pain in the head, headache |
| 3 | Old English | eċe | ache |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *aki | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | akiz | ache, pain |
| 6 | Armenian | աքիս | weasel, least weasel, "Mustela nivalis" |
| 7 | Old Armenian | աքիս | weasel, least weasel, "Mustela nivalis" |
Words derived from “headache”