Where does “not see for looking” come from?
not see for looking (English) comes from English Look, from French -er, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
not see for looking (English): To be unable to identify because one is trying too hard
Definitions
- To be unable to identify because one is trying too hard
Ancestry of “not see for looking”, step by step
not see for looking traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English Look
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Look | To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes |
| 2 | French | -er | Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English Not
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Not | — |
| 2 | Middle English | not | not; nothing, nought; nobody, no person |
| 3 | Middle English | nought | nothing, none; not; iniquitous, wicked |
| 4 | Old English | nōwiht | — |
| 5 | Old English | ne | not; or, and not; "ne... ne..." is used to mean "... |
| 6 | Old English | ealles | completely, wholly, entirely; totally,... |
| 7 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |
via English for
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | for | Because, as, since; Towards; in the direction of;... |
| 2 | Middle English | for | for |
| 3 | Old English | fōr | journey; going, course, journey |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | furi | for; before; forward |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | furi | for, before; before, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |