Where does “nerdling” come from?
nerdling (English) comes from English nerd, from English nerts, from English nuts, from English nut, from Middle English nute, from Old English hnutu, from Proto-West Germanic hnut, from Proto-Germanic hnuts — to arise, begin.
nerdling (English): A young or unimportant nerd
Definitions
- A young or unimportant nerd
Ancestry of “nerdling”, step by step
nerdling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nerd
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nerd | A person who is intellectual but generally... |
| 2 | English | nerts | Crazy; nuts; Nuts! Expression of dismay |
| 3 | English | nuts | plural of nut; Testicles; An unbeatable hand; the... |
| 4 | English | nut | A hard-shelled seed; A piece of metal, usually... |
| 5 | Middle English | nute | — |
| 6 | Old English | hnutu | nut |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | hnut | nut |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hnuts | nut |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | knew- | to scrape; scratch; rub; to scratch; scrape; rub |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ken- | to arise, begin |
via English Ling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ling | Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae |
| 2 | Middle English | ling | Any of various varieties of heather or broom |
| 3 | Old Norse | lyng | heather, ling |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lingwą | heather, ling |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lengʷʰ- | light, agile, nimble; light, not heavy, agile,... |