Where does “nonsense word” come from?
nonsense word (English) comes from English nonsense, from English sense, from Middle English sense, from Old French sens, from Latin sēnsus, from Dutch census, from Latin census, from Latin censeo — to cover, conceal; hornless.
nonsense word (English): A neologised word that does not have a given meaning, or that has been invented without any etymological sense
Definitions
- A neologised word that does not have a given meaning, or that has been invented without any etymological sense
Ancestry of “nonsense word”, step by step
nonsense word traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nonsense
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nonsense | Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have... |
| 2 | English | sense | Any of the manners by which living beings... |
| 3 | Middle English | sense | meaning, signification; interpretation |
| 4 | Old French | sens | reason; ability to reason or think |
| 5 | Latin | sēnsus | faculty or power of perceiving; perception, feeling, sensation, sense |
| 6 | Dutch | census | a census |
| 7 | Latin | census | census, a registering of the populace and their... |
| 8 | Latin | censeo | I give an opinion; I think, suppose or judge; I... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kensēō | to give an opinion |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | kensējō | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱens-éh₁-ye-ti | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱens- | to announce, to proclaim; to put in order |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱem- | to cover, conceal; hornless |
via English Word
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Word | Scripture; The Bible; The creative word of God;... |
| 2 | English | worth | Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for;... |
| 3 | Middle English | worth | to become |
| 4 | Old English | weorþ | worth, deserving; honoured, esteemed; worth,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | werþaz | worthy, valuable |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |