Where does “nerdom” come from?

nerdom (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.

nerdom (English): The attitudes and behaviours of a nerd;...

Definitions

  1. The attitudes and behaviours of a nerd;...

Ancestry of “nerdom”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnerdA person who is intellectual but generally...
2EnglishnertsCrazy; nuts; Nuts! Expression of dismay
3Englishnutsplural of nut; Testicles; An unbeatable hand; the...
4EnglishnutA hard-shelled seed; A piece of metal, usually...
5Middle Englishnute
6Old Englishhnutunut
7Proto-West Germanichnutnut
8Proto-Germanichnutsnut
9Proto-Indo-Europeanknew-to scrape; scratch; rub; to scratch; scrape; rub
10Proto-Indo-Europeanken-to arise, begin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ken-