Where does “headshrinker” come from?

headshrinker (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.

headshrinker (English): A psychiatrist

Definitions

  1. A psychiatrist

Ancestry of “headshrinker”, step by step

headshrinker 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 shrinker

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshrinkerSomething that makes something else shrink; A...
2EnglishshrinkTo cause to become smaller; To become smaller; to...
3Middle EnglishschrynkenTo shrivel up or wrinkle; to contract
4Old Englishsċrincanto shrivel up
5Proto-Germanicskrinkwanąto shrink, pull together, shrivel
6Proto-Indo-Europeansker-to jump; to turn, to bend; to turn, bend
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos
headshrinker — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer