Where does “little fingernail” come from?
little fingernail (English) comes from English fingernail, from English finger, from German Finger, from Middle High German vinger, from Old High German fingar, from Proto-West Germanic fingr, from Proto-Germanic fingraz, from Proto-Indo-European penkʷrós.
little fingernail (English): The nail of the little finger
Definitions
- The nail of the little finger
Ancestry of “little fingernail”, step by step
little fingernail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fingernail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fingernail | The hard, flat translucent covering near the tip... |
| 2 | English | finger | A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other animals |
| 3 | German | Finger | finger |
| 4 | Middle High German | vinger | finger |
| 5 | Old High German | fingar | finger |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | fingr | finger |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | fingraz | finger |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | penkʷrós | — |
via English little finger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | little finger | The outermost and smallest finger of the hand, next to the ring finger, farthest from the thumb |
| 2 | Middle English | litel fynger | The little finger or pinky finger finger furthest from the thumb |
| 3 | Old English | lȳtel finger | pinky, little finger |
| 4 | Old English | lȳtel | little |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | lūtil | bent; tending to stoop; crouching |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lūtilaz | bent; tending to stoop; crouching; little |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |