Where does “nittiness” come from?
nittiness (English) comes from English nitty, from English nitty-gritty, from English gritty, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz — -y, -ic.
nittiness (English): The quality of being nitty
Definitions
- The quality of being nitty
Ancestry of “nittiness”, step by step
nittiness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nitty
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nitty | Full of nits; Foolish, inane; A dope fiend, a... |
| 2 | English | nitty-gritty | The core or essence of something; the details |
| 3 | English | gritty | Containing sand or grit; consisting of grit;... |
| 4 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 5 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 6 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |