Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nonking” come from?

nonking (English) comes from English King, from Middle English king, from Old English cyning, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom — smoke; mist, haze.

nonking (English): One who, or that which, is not a king

Definitions

  1. One who, or that which, is not a king

Ancestry of “nonking”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishKing—
2Middle Englishkingking
3Old Englishcyningking
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →