Where does “muttonhead” come from?
muttonhead (English) comes from English mutton, from Middle English motoun, from Old French mouton, from Vulgar Latin molto, from Gaulish multon-, from Proto-Celtic moltos, from Proto-Indo-European (h₂)moldus, from Proto-Indo-European mel- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
muttonhead (English): A stupid or foolish person
Definitions
- A stupid or foolish person
Ancestry of “muttonhead”, step by step
muttonhead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mutton
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mutton | The flesh of sheep used as food; The flesh of... |
| 2 | Middle English | motoun | The meat of sheep or a piece of it; mutton; A... |
| 3 | Old French | mouton | sheep; mutton |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | molto | wether |
| 5 | Gaulish | multon- | sheep |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | moltos | ram, wether |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (h₂)moldus | soft, weak |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |