Where does “jigger” come from?
Jigger derives from English jig, which comes from English gig, ultimately traceable to Latin gignere meaning "to beget" and the Latin agent noun suffix -arius.
jigger (English): A double-ended vessel, generally of stainless...
Definitions
- A double-ended vessel, generally of stainless...
Ancestry of “jigger”, step by step
jigger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Proto-Slavic jiga
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | jiga | — |
| 2 | English | Digger | A soldier from Australia or New Zealand; One of a... |
| 3 | Middle English | dyggar | digger |
| 4 | Middle English | -ere | er |
| 5 | Old English | -ere | masculine agent suffix, originally applied only... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 8 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |