Where does “headless over heels” come from?
headless over heels (English) comes from English headless, from English -less, from Middle English -les, from Turkish -le, from Turkish ile, from Ottoman Turkish ایله, from Old Anatolian Turkish اِیلَه, from Proto-Turkic bile — with, together, also.
headless over heels (English): but while one or someone else is headless
Definitions
- but while one or someone else is headless
Ancestry of “headless over heels”, step by step
headless over heels traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English headless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | headless | Without a head; decapitated; Without leadership;... |
| 2 | English | -less | (something); without (something). Added usually to a noun to form an adjective signifying a lack of that noun |
| 3 | Middle English | -les | Lacking (something); without (something) |
| 4 | Turkish | -le | with, shortened form of ile; by, shortened form... |
| 5 | Turkish | ile | with; and |
| 6 | Ottoman Turkish | ایله | by |
| 7 | Old Anatolian Turkish | اِیلَه | — |
| 8 | Proto-Turkic | bile | with, together, also |
via English head over heels
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head over heels | Tumbling upside down; somersaulting |