Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “knobbliness” come from?

knobbliness (English) comes from English knobbly, from English knobble, from Middle English knoble, from Middle English -el, from Old French -el, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

knobbliness (English): The state or condition of being knobbly

Definitions

  1. The state or condition of being knobbly

Ancestry of “knobbliness”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishknobblyHaving a covering of small knobs
2EnglishknobbleA small knob; To give a knobbly surface to; To...
3Middle EnglishknobleA small knob, bole, or lump
4Middle English-el—
5Old French-elSuffix that usually denotes a masculine noun
6Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
7Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
8Proto-Italic-olos—
9Proto-Italic-elos—
10Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
11Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →