Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “leatherhead” come from?

leatherhead (English) comes from English leather, from English stocking, from English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną — smoke; mist, haze.

leatherhead (English): The friarbird; A city watchman who wore a leather...

Definitions

  1. The friarbird; A city watchman who wore a leather...

Ancestry of “leatherhead”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishleatherA tough material produced from the skin of...
2EnglishstockingA soft garment, usually knit or woven, worn on...
3English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
4Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
5Old English-tūn—
6Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
7Proto-West Germanictūnfence
8Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
9Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
10Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
11Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →