Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “neckweed” come from?

neckweed (English) comes from English neck, from Middle English nekke, from Old English hnecca, from Proto-West Germanic *hnakkō, from Proto-Germanic hnakkô, from Proto-Indo-European knog-, from Proto-Indo-European ken- — to arise, begin.

neckweed (English): An American annual weed , with small white...

Definitions

  1. An American annual weed , with small white...

Ancestry of “neckweed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishneckThe part of the body connecting the head and the...
2Middle Englishnekkeneck
3Old Englishhneccaback of the neck; back of the head; neck
4Proto-West Germanic*hnakkō—
5Proto-Germanichnakkôthe back of the neck; nape
6Proto-Indo-Europeanknog-back of the head, nape, neck
7Proto-Indo-Europeanken-to arise, begin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ken- →