Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nicked” come from?

Nicked derives from the English verb nick, which comes from Middle English nycken, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots related to being cut or notched.

nicked (English): simple past tense and past participle of nick;...

Definitions

  1. simple past tense and past participle of nick;...

Ancestry of “nicked”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNick—
2EnglishnicknameA familiar, invented name for a person or thing...
3Middle Englishnekename—
4Middle EnglishekenameA nickname
5Middle Englishekealso, additional
6Old Englishēacaan addition, increase, eeking; addition,...
7Proto-Germanicaukôincrease, addition
8Proto-Germanicaukanąto increase, to grow
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ewg-to increase, to enlarge
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂weg-to increase, to enlarge
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ug-—

Words derived from “nicked”

  • unnicked
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ug- →