Where does “jackass of all trades” come from?
jackass of all trades (English) comes from English jackass, from English Jack, from Middle English jakke, from Anglo-Norman jacke, from Middle French jaque, from Middle French jacques, from French jacques, from Latin Iacobus — heel of the foot; heel.
jackass of all trades (English): An individual who is exceptionally incompetent at everything
Definitions
- An individual who is exceptionally incompetent at everything
Ancestry of “jackass of all trades”, step by step
jackass of all trades traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English jackass
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | jackass | a male donkey; a foolish or stupid person; an... |
| 2 | English | Jack | A placeholder or conventional name for any man,... |
| 3 | Middle English | jakke | A padded coat, especially as light armour |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | jacke | — |
| 5 | Middle French | jaque | — |
| 6 | Middle French | jacques | — |
| 7 | French | jacques | plural of jacque; a stupid person; a jemmy or... |
| 8 | Latin | Iacobus | Jacob; James; Saint James |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | Ἰάκωβος | — |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | Ἰακώβ | Jacob |
| 11 | Hebrew | יַעֲקֹב | Jacob |
| 12 | Hebrew | עָקֵב | heel of the foot; heel |
via English jack of all trades
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | jack of all trades | One competent in many endeavors, especially one... |
| 2 | English | trades | plural of trade; API pl; Steady winds blowing... |
| 3 | English | -s | Used to form regular plurals of nouns; Used to... |
| 4 | Middle English | -es | Alternative form of -yssh; Alternative form of... |
| 5 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |