Where does “nitwittish” come from?
nitwittish (English) comes from English nitwit, from English Wit, from English with, from Middle English wiþ, from Old English wiþ, from Old English wiþer, from Proto-West Germanic wiþr, from Proto-Germanic wiþrą — apart, asunder; away from, against.
nitwittish (English): Somewhat like a nitwit
Definitions
- Somewhat like a nitwit
Ancestry of “nitwittish”, step by step
nitwittish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nitwit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nitwit | A scatterbrained or stupid person |
| 2 | English | Wit | Sanity |
| 3 | English | with | Against; In the company of; alongside, close to;... |
| 4 | Middle English | wiþ | with |
| 5 | Old English | wiþ | against, opposite; along, towards; with |
| 6 | Old English | wiþer | toward, against; again, against; against, in... |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | wiþr | toward, against |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | wiþrą | toward, against |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wī-tero- | further apart |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wi | apart, asunder; away from, against |
via English ish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ish | Pronunciation spelling of is; somewhat,... |
| 2 | English | -ish | Typical of, similar to, being like; Somewhat,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ish | Alternative form of -yssh |
| 4 | Old English | -isċ | -ish |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -isk | Creates adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -iskaz | Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iskos | Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to |