Where does “mug shot” come from?
mug shot (English) comes from English mug, from English motherfucker, from English fucker, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō — he, she.
mug shot (English): A photograph taken of the head and shoulders,...
Definitions
- A photograph taken of the head and shoulders,...
Ancestry of “mug shot”, step by step
mug shot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mug
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mug | Easily fooled, gullible; A large cup for hot... |
| 2 | English | motherfucker | An extremely contemptible or mean person; Any... |
| 3 | English | fucker | An undesirable person; The object of some effort;... |
| 4 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 5 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 6 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 7 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 12 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English shot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shot | Worn out or broken; Woven from warp and weft... |
| 2 | Middle English | schot | A missile or projectile; a thrown or fired weapon |
| 3 | Old English | Scot | shot, act of shooting |
| 4 | Old Norse | skot | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skutą | shot |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewd- | to advance, push; to drive, propel |