Where does “neat” come from?
Neat comes from Old English nēat, from Latin nitidus meaning "shining" or "bright," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European newd-.
neat (English): Clean, tidy; free from dirt or impurities; Free...
Definitions
- Clean, tidy; free from dirt or impurities; Free...
Ancestry of “neat”, step by step
neat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English nete
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nete | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | neit | good, desireable, clean |
| 3 | Old French | net | neat, decent |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | nittus | — |
| 5 | Latin | nitidus | shining, polished, glittering; handsome,... |
| 6 | Latin | nitere | second-person singular future active indicative... |
| 7 | Latin | niteo | I am radiant, shine, look bright, glitter,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ney- | to shine; to be aroused, shine; to be excited |
| 9 | Cebuano | -hi | — |
via Middle English neat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | neat | — |