Where does “northpaw” come from?

northpaw (English) comes from English North, from French Nord, from Middle French nord, from Old French nort, from Old English norþ, from Proto-Germanic nurþrą, from Proto-Germanic nurþraz, from Proto-Indo-European *nér — below the surface, below.

northpaw (English): A right-handed person

Definitions

  1. A right-handed person

Ancestry of “northpaw”, step by step

northpaw traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English North

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNorthAny of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie
2FrenchNordnorth
3Middle Frenchnordnorth
4Old Frenchnortnorth
5Old Englishnorþnorth
6Proto-Germanicnurþrąnorth, northern; north, northward
7Proto-Germanicnurþraznorth, northern
8Proto-Indo-European*nérbelow the surface, below

via English paw

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpawThe soft foot of a mammal or other animal,...
2Middle Englishpawepaw; claw, talon; rough, vicious hand
3Old Frenchpoue
4Frankishpōta
5Proto-Germanicputōnąto stick, stab, poke; to push
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbud-to shoot, sprout; to swell
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *nér
northpaw — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer