Where does “little finger” come from?
little finger (English) comes from Middle English litel fynger, from Old English lȳtel finger, from Old English lȳtel, from Proto-West Germanic lūtil, from Proto-Germanic lūtilaz, from Proto-Germanic burgz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥ǵʰ-.
little finger (English): The outermost and smallest finger of the hand, next to the ring finger, farthest from the thumb
Definitions
- The outermost and smallest finger of the hand, next to the ring finger, farthest from the thumb
Ancestry of “little finger”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | litel fynger | The little finger or pinky finger finger furthest from the thumb |
| 2 | Old English | lȳtel finger | pinky, little finger |
| 3 | Old English | lȳtel | little |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | lūtil | bent; tending to stoop; crouching |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lūtilaz | bent; tending to stoop; crouching; little |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |