Where does “nutcake” come from?
nutcake (English) comes from English cake, from Middle English cake, from Old Norse kaka, from Proto-Germanic kakǭ, from Proto-Indo-European gōg- — round, ball-shaped object; lump; clump.
nutcake (English): A cake made with nuts; A crazy person
Definitions
- A cake made with nuts; A crazy person
Ancestry of “nutcake”, step by step
nutcake traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cake
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cake | A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of... |
| 2 | Middle English | cake | cake; A cake prepared to cure disease or illness;... |
| 3 | Old Norse | kaka | cake |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kakǭ | cake |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gōg- | round, ball-shaped object; lump; clump |
via English Nut
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Nut | The goddess who serves as the personification of the sky |
| 2 | Middle English | note | note; Alternative form of not |
| 3 | Old English | notu | use; enjoyment; profit, advantage, utility |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nutō | use, profit, yield |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | newd- | to seize; grasp; use; to grasp, seize, use; to... |