Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “kicking” come from?

Kicking derives from Middle English kiken, from Old Dutch kīkan meaning to thrust or strike, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰōw- meaning to swell or bend.

kicking (English): Terrific, great smart, fashionable; Alive,...

Definitions

  1. Terrific, great smart, fashionable; Alive,...

Ancestry of “kicking”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkickTo strike or hit with the foot or other extremity...
2Englishkick the bucketTo die; Of a machine, to break down such that it...
3EnglishbucketA container made of rigid material, often with a...
4Middle Englishboket—
5Anglo-Normanbukettub, pail; bucket
6Old Frenchbucabdomen; object with a cavity; trunk, torso;...
7Latinbuccushe-goat
8Frankishbukkmale goat; buck, goat; buck, male goat
9Proto-Germanic*bukkaz—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰuǵ-buck, he-goat
11Proto-North CaucasianbVχc̣V—
12Proto-North CaucasianbVc̣Vyoung he-goat

Words derived from “kicking”

  • goalkicking
  • kickingly
Every word from Proto-North Caucasian bVc̣V →