Where does “kneecapper” come from?

kneecapper (English) comes from English kneecap, 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.

kneecapper (English): The person who carries out kneecapping

Definitions

  1. The person who carries out kneecapping

Ancestry of “kneecapper”, step by step

kneecapper traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English kneecap

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkneecapThe flat, roundish bone in the knee; A metal...
2EnglishkneeIn humans, the joint or the region of the joint...
3Middle EnglishknēThe knee or a similar joint in other animals
4Old Englishcnēogeneration
5Proto-West Germanickneuknee
6Proto-Germanicknewąknee
7Proto-Indo-Europeanǵnéwo-knee
8Proto-Indo-Europeanǵónuknee

via English ER

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishERThe statistic "Earned Run"; Initialism of...
2Turkisherearly; brave; man, male
3Ottoman Turkishایرsaddle, a seat for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal
4Old Anatolian Turkishایرearly, at a time in advance of the usual or expected event
5Proto-Turkicēdersaddle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵónuEvery word from Proto-Indo-European ǵnéwo-Every word from Proto-Germanic knewą