Where does “nitpicking” come from?
nitpicking (English) comes from English picking, from English pick, from Middle English piken, from Middle English pyke, from Old English pīc, from Proto-Germanic *pīk, from Latin pix, from Proto-Indo-European pik- — sap, juice.
nitpicking (English): The painstaking process of removing nits from...
Definitions
- The painstaking process of removing nits from...
Ancestry of “nitpicking”, step by step
nitpicking traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English picking
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | picking | present participle of pick; A gathering to pick... |
| 2 | English | pick | A tool used for digging; a pickaxe; A tool for... |
| 3 | Middle English | piken | To pick at; to use a edged tool on; To pierce or... |
| 4 | Middle English | pyke | A sharp round point or projection; A point or end... |
| 5 | Old English | pīc | pointed object, pick axe |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *pīk | — |
| 7 | Latin | pix | pitch, tar |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pik- | to be angry; pitch; resin |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pi- | sap, juice |