Where does “hobnail” come from?
hobnail (English) comes from English Hob, from Middle English Hob, from English robin, from Middle English Robin, from Old French Robert, from Frankish berht, from Proto-Germanic berhtaz, from Proto-Germanic hrabnaz — army.
hobnail (English): A short nail with a thick head, typically used in...
Definitions
- A short nail with a thick head, typically used in...
Ancestry of “hobnail”, step by step
hobnail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Hob
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hob | A nickname for Robin Goodfellow, Puck; later the devil |
| 2 | Middle English | Hob | — |
| 3 | English | robin | Any of various passerine birds of the families... |
| 4 | Middle English | Robin | — |
| 5 | Old French | Robert | a Germanic (Old Frankish) borrowing |
| 6 | Frankish | berht | bright |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | berhtaz | bright, shining |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hrabnaz | raven |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via English nail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nail | The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and... |
| 2 | Middle English | nail | Alternative form of nayl |
| 3 | Old English | næġl | nail |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | nagl | nail; nail or peg used for fastening |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | naglaz | nail; nail or peg used for fastening |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃nogʰ- | claw, nail; nail |