Where does “know-it-all” come from?
know-it-all (English) comes from English all, from Middle English all, from Old English eall, from Proto-West Germanic all, from Proto-Germanic allaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- — to grow, nourish.
know-it-all (English): Someone who claims to be knowledgeable or an...
Definitions
- Someone who claims to be knowledgeable or an...
Ancestry of “know-it-all”, step by step
know-it-all traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English all
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | all | Every individual or anything of the given class,... |
| 2 | Middle English | all | all; all, every |
| 3 | Old English | eall | all; whole, entire; everything |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | all | all |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | allaz | all |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | to grow, nourish |
via English know
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | know | To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be... |
| 2 | Middle English | knowen | to know |
| 3 | Old English | cnāwan | to know, perceive, recognise; to know, recognise,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | knāan | to recognise, to know |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | knēaną | to know, recognise, understand |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneh₃- | to know |