Where does “necklace” come from?
Necklace comes from Middle English necklace, derived from Old English necke combined with lace, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European ken- meaning to bind or encircle.
necklace (English): An article of jewelry that is worn around the...
Definitions
- An article of jewelry that is worn around the...
Ancestry of “necklace”, step by step
necklace traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English neck
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | neck | The part of the body connecting the head and the... |
| 2 | Middle English | nekke | neck |
| 3 | Old English | hnecca | back of the neck; back of the head; neck |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hnakkō | nape |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hnakkô | the back of the neck; nape |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | knog- | back of the head, nape, neck |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ken- | to arise, begin |