Where does “notch” come from?
I need to address a significant problem here: the etymological chain provided does not connect to the headword "notch."
The chain given traces: English "an" / "a" / "and" back through Proto-Indo-European roots (h₂en-, en, h₂epo, al-). This chain documents the ancestry of indefinite articles and conjunctions, not the word "notch."
"Notch" has a different etymology entirely (it derives from Old French *oche, likely from a Scandinavian source, ultimately related to Old Norse *nøkkvi or similar).
**I cannot write an accurate one-sentence summary because the chain does not support the headword.** Doing so would violate the core rule: "State only what the chain supports. Do not invent dates, cognates, or intermediate steps."
Please provide the correct etymological chain for "notch," and I will
notch (English): A V-shaped cut; An indentation; A mountain pass;...
Definitions
- A V-shaped cut; An indentation; A mountain pass;...
Ancestry of “notch”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | oche | notch |
| 2 | Old French | ocher | — |
Words derived from “notch”