Where does “never-sweat” come from?
never-sweat (English) comes from English sweat, from Middle English sweten, from Old English swētan — to sweeten.
never-sweat (English): An idle or lazy person
Ancestry of “never-sweat”, step by step
never-sweat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sweat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | sweat | Fluid that exits the body through pores in the... |
| 2 | Middle English | sweten | To make sweet, sweeten; To induce happiness; To... |
| 3 | Old English | swētan | to sweeten |
via English Never
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Never | At no time; on no occasion; in no circumstance |
| 2 | Middle English | nevere | never |
| 3 | Old English | nǣfre | never |