Where does “knavess” come from?
knavess (English) comes from English knave, from Middle English knave, from Old English cnafa, from Proto-Germanic knabô.
knavess (English): A knavish woman
Ancestry of “knavess”, step by step
knavess traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English knave
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | knave | A boy; especially, a boy servant; Any male... |
| 2 | Middle English | knave | son, male child; boy, lad, male child or baby;... |
| 3 | Old English | cnafa | boy; lad; young man |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | knabô | — |
via English ess
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | ess | The name of the Latin-script letter S; Something... |
| 2 | German | ess | first-person singular present of essen; singular... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | atiska- | grainfield |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂edos- | sort of cereal, grain |