Where does “headshaking” come from?

headshaking (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.

headshaking (English): the act of shaking one's head, in disagreement or...

Definitions

  1. the act of shaking one's head, in disagreement or...

Ancestry of “headshaking”, step by step

headshaking 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 shaking

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishshakingpresent participle of shake; A movement that...
2EnglishshakeTo cause to move rapidly in opposite directions...
3Middle EnglishschakenTo shake or quake
4Old Englishsċeacan
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos