Where does “headfirst” come from?
Headfirst comes from Middle English first and Old English hēafod, from Proto-Germanic furistaz meaning "head," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kauput-.
headfirst (English): With the head in front; headlong; Rashly;...
Definitions
- With the head in front; headlong; Rashly;...
Ancestry of “headfirst”, step by step
headfirst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via English First
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | First | Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest |
| 2 | Middle English | first | first |
| 3 | Old English | fyrst | Alternative form of fierst; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | frestaz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pres- | to press |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |