Where does “mirthquake” come from?
mirthquake (English) comes from English mirth, from Middle English merth, from Old English myrgþ, from Old English -þ, from Old English -þu, from Proto-West Germanic -iþu, from Proto-Germanic -iþō, from Proto-Indo-European -iteh₂ — -th.
mirthquake (English): An eruption of hilarity
Definitions
- An eruption of hilarity
Ancestry of “mirthquake”, step by step
mirthquake traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mirth
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mirth | The emotion usually following humour and... |
| 2 | Middle English | merth | Alternative form of myrthe |
| 3 | Old English | myrgþ | mirth |
| 4 | Old English | -þ | forming abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or... |
| 5 | Old English | -þu | forming abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -iþu | Forms abstract nouns from verbs, adjectives or... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -iþō | -ness, -th |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iteh₂ | -th |
via English earthquake
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | earthquake | A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic... |
| 2 | Middle English | erthequake | An earthquake shaking of the ground |
| 3 | Middle English | erthe | Earth; the world; The Earth's people or... |
| 4 | Old English | eorþe | ground; the planet Earth; dirt |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | erþu | earth, world; earth, soil |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | erþō | earth |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁er- | earth |