Where does “hint” come from?
Hint comes from Middle English hinten, from Middle English henten, from Old English hentan, from Proto-Germanic hantijaną, combining Proto-Germanic root hant- with the suffix -janą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱent- with suffix -yeti.
hint (English): A clue; A tacit suggestion that avoids a direct...
Definitions
- A clue; A tacit suggestion that avoids a direct...
Ancestry of “hint”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hinten | — |
| 2 | Middle English | henten | to lay hold of, catch |
| 3 | Old English | hentan | to pursue; follow after; to seize; take; carry... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hantijan | to pursue, follow |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hantijaną | to fit; to pursue, follow |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |