Where does “niceling” come from?
niceling (English) comes from English Nice, from Middle English nyce, from Old French nice, from Latin nescius, from Latin nesciō, from Latin sciō, from Proto-Indo-European sḱēy-, from Proto-Germanic skaidą — to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,...
niceling (English): An effeminate, tender, or delicate individual; A...
Definitions
- An effeminate, tender, or delicate individual; A...
Ancestry of “niceling”, step by step
niceling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Nice
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Nice | (pronounced /ni:s/ or /naɪs/) |
| 2 | Middle English | nyce | foolish, simple, ignorant, naive; scared, weak,... |
| 3 | Old French | nice | simple, foolish |
| 4 | Latin | nescius | unaware, ignorant; not knowing how, unable |
| 5 | Latin | nesciō | to not know, to be ignorant, to not understand |
| 6 | Latin | sciō | to be able to, to know, understand, to have practical knowledge |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱēy- | to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | skaidą | separation, distinction |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | skÁit- | to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,... |
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,... |