Where does “numbnuts” come from?
numbnuts (English) comes from English nuts, from English nut, from Middle English nute, from Old English hnutu, from Proto-West Germanic hnut, from Proto-Germanic hnuts, from Proto-Indo-European knew-, from Proto-Indo-European ken- — to arise, begin.
numbnuts (English): A slow-witted, unresponsive, or inept person
Definitions
- A slow-witted, unresponsive, or inept person
Ancestry of “numbnuts”, step by step
numbnuts traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nuts
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nuts | plural of nut; Testicles; An unbeatable hand; the... |
| 2 | English | nut | A hard-shelled seed; A piece of metal, usually... |
| 3 | Middle English | nute | — |
| 4 | Old English | hnutu | nut |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hnut | nut |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hnuts | nut |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | knew- | to scrape; scratch; rub; to scratch; scrape; rub |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ken- | to arise, begin |
via English numb
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | numb | Physically unable to feel, not having the power... |
| 2 | English | nim | To take or seize; To filch, steal; To walk with... |
| 3 | Middle English | nimen | to take |
| 4 | Old English | niman | to take, seize |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | neman | to take |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nemaną | to take |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | nem- | to distribute; to give, to take |