Where does “laughing stock” come from?
laughing stock (English) comes from English stock, from Italian stoccata, from Italian stoccare, from Italian stocco, from Middle Dutch stōken, from Old Dutch stokon, from Proto-Germanic stukōną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewg- — to push, to hit.
laughing stock (English): An object of ridicule, someone who is publicly...
Definitions
- An object of ridicule, someone who is publicly...
Ancestry of “laughing stock”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | stock | A store or supply; The capital raised by a... |
| 2 | Italian | stoccata | hit with a sword, especially a tuck; thrust,... |
| 3 | Italian | stoccare | to stock; to strike or thrust with a tuck or... |
| 4 | Italian | stocco | tuck; A rapier, a sword; corn plant after cobs... |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | stōken | — |
| 6 | Old Dutch | stokon | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | stukōną | to push, to thrust |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewg- | to push, to hit |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |