Where does “mattock” come from?

Mattock comes from Middle English mattok, from Old English mattuc, from Proto-Germanic mattukaz, from Proto-Indo-European mat-.

mattock (English): An agricultural tool whose blades are at right...

Definitions

  1. An agricultural tool whose blades are at right...

Ancestry of “mattock”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmattokmattock, pickaxe
2Old Englishmattuca mattock or pickaxe
3Proto-Germanicmattukazmattock, ploughshare
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmat-worm, grub, caterpillar, moth; insect, worm,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mat- →Every word from Proto-Germanic mattukaz →Every word from Old English mattuc →