Where does “littleneck” come from?
littleneck (English) comes from English little, from Middle English litel, from Old English lȳtel, from Proto-West Germanic lūtil, from Proto-Germanic lūtilaz, from Proto-Germanic burgz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰr̥ǵʰ-.
littleneck (English): A young quahog, or hard clam
Definitions
- A young quahog, or hard clam
Ancestry of “littleneck”, step by step
littleneck traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English little
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | little | Small in size; Insignificant, trivial; Very young |
| 2 | Middle English | litel | little |
| 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- | — |
via English neck
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | neck | The part of the body connecting the head and the... |
| 2 | Middle English | nekke | neck |
| 3 | Old English | hnecca | back of the neck; back of the head; neck |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hnakkō | nape |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hnakkô | the back of the neck; nape |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | knog- | back of the head, nape, neck |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ken- | to arise, begin |