Where does “knee-jerkism” come from?
knee-jerkism (English) comes from English knee-jerk, from English knee, from Middle English knē, from Old English cnēo, from Proto-West Germanic kneu, from Proto-Germanic knewą, from Proto-Indo-European ǵnéwo-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵónu — knee.
knee-jerkism (English): behavior
Definitions
- behavior
Ancestry of “knee-jerkism”, step by step
knee-jerkism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English knee-jerk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | knee-jerk | Unthinking, not carefully considered, automatic,... |
| 2 | English | knee | In humans, the joint or the region of the joint... |
| 3 | Middle English | knē | The knee or a similar joint in other animals |
| 4 | Old English | cnēo | generation |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | kneu | knee |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | knewą | knee |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵnéwo- | knee |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵónu | knee |
via English ism
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ism | An ideology, system of thought, or practice that... |
| 2 | English | -ism | Used to form nouns of action or process or result... |
| 3 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |