Where does “headshake” come from?

headshake (English) comes from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

headshake (English): A shake of the head

Definitions

  1. A shake of the head

Ancestry of “headshake”, step by step

headshake traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English head

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheadThe part of the body of an animal or human which...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English shake

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshakeTo cause to move rapidly in opposite directions...
2Middle EnglishschakenTo shake or quake
3Old Englishsċeacan
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱosEvery word from English -yEvery word from Old English -iġ