Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “idlehead” come from?

idlehead (English) comes from Middle English idelhed, from Middle English ydel, from Middle English -schipe, from Old English -sċiepe, from Proto-West Germanic -skapi, from Proto-Germanic -skapiz, from Proto-Germanic skapjaną, from Proto-Indo-European skab- — to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,...

idlehead (English): Idleness; vanity

Definitions

  1. Idleness; vanity

Ancestry of “idlehead”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishidelhedvanity
2Middle Englishydel—
3Middle English-schipeAffixed to nouns and adjectives to form nouns...
4Old English-sċiepe—
5Proto-West Germanic-skapiForms nouns denoting state, originally meaning...
6Proto-Germanic-skapizForms nouns denoting state, originally meaning...
7Proto-Germanicskapjanąto make, to create; to shape
8Proto-Indo-Europeanskab-to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,...

Words derived from “idlehead”

  • idlehood
Every word from Proto-Indo-European skab- →