Where does “life-threatening” come from?

life-threatening (English) comes from English threatening, from English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum — smoke; mist, haze.

life-threatening (English): Endangering the continued life of the subject

Definitions

  1. Endangering the continued life of the subject

Ancestry of “life-threatening”, step by step

life-threatening traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English threatening

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishthreateningpresent participle of threaten; Presenting a...
2English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
3Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
4Old English-tūnhomestead, village, town
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English life

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlifeThe state of organisms preceding their death,...
2Middle Englishlyflife
3Old Englishlīflife, existence; life-time
4Proto-West Germaniclībbody; life
5Proto-Germaniclībąbody; life
6Proto-Germaniclībanąto remain, to be left
7Proto-Indo-Europeanleyp-to stick; fat or sticky substance
8Proto-Indo-Europeanlēy-to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave...

Words derived from “life-threatening

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-Every word from Proto-Celtic dūnomEvery word from English -ing