Where does “henpecked” come from?
henpecked (English) comes from English hen, from Middle English hen, from Old English henn, from Proto-West Germanic *hannju, from Proto-Germanic hanjō, from Proto-Indo-European keh₂n- — to sing.
henpecked (English): Intimidated or overwhelmed by a nagging or...
Definitions
- Intimidated or overwhelmed by a nagging or...
Ancestry of “henpecked”, step by step
henpecked traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hen | A female chicken (Gallus gallus), especially a sexually mature one kept for her eggs |
| 2 | Middle English | hen | hen, chicken; female bird |
| 3 | Old English | henn | hen |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hannju | hen |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hanjō | hen |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂n- | to sing |
via English pecked
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pecked | simple past tense and past participle of peck |