Where does “ladykilling” come from?
ladykilling (English) comes from English lady, from Middle English lady, from Old English hlǣfdīġe, from Old English hlāf, from Proto-West Germanic hlaib, from Proto-Germanic hlaibaz — bread.
ladykilling (English): Womanizing, like a lady-killer
Definitions
- Womanizing, like a lady-killer
Ancestry of “ladykilling”, step by step
ladykilling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English lady
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lady | The mistress of a household; A woman of breeding... |
| 2 | Middle English | lady | A woman with authority or leadership |
| 3 | Old English | hlǣfdīġe | bread-kneader; mistress of a household, wife of a... |
| 4 | Old English | hlāf | bread, loaf; bread, loaf, morsel; loaf, cake,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hlaib | bread, loaf |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hlaibaz | bread |
via English killing
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | killing | present participle of kill; That literally... |
| 2 | Middle English | kyllyng | The action of killing somebody, slaying |
| 3 | Middle English | -ynge | Alternative form of -ing |
| 4 | Old English | -ung | forming nouns from verbs, denoting verbal action... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ungō | -ing, -ion. "Forms gerund nouns from verbs." |