Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “headbutt” come from?

headbutt (English) comes from English butt, from Middle English butten, from Anglo-Norman buter, from Old French boter, from Old French bouter, from Frankish bautan, from Proto-West Germanic bautan, from Proto-Germanic bautaną — to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

headbutt (English): A sharp blow delivered by driving the head into...

Definitions

  1. A sharp blow delivered by driving the head into...

Ancestry of “headbutt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbuttThe larger or thicker end of something; the blunt...
2Middle Englishbutten—
3Anglo-Normanbuterto strike, finish
4Old Frenchboterto push, butt, strike; to strike; to push; thrust
5Old Frenchbouterto strike; to hit; to place; to put; to enter
6Frankishbautanto push, strike, beat; to hit, strike; to hit,...
7Proto-West Germanicbautanto beat
8Proto-Germanicbautanąto beat, push
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewd-to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰew-to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

Words derived from “headbutt”

  • headbutter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- →