Where does “nutpicking” come from?

nutpicking (English) comes from English picking, from English pick, from Middle English piken, from Middle English pyke, from Old English pīc, from Proto-Germanic *pīk, from Latin pix, from Proto-Indo-European pik- — sap, juice.

nutpicking (English): The gathering of nuts from the plants they grow upon

Definitions

  1. The gathering of nuts from the plants they grow upon

Ancestry of “nutpicking”, step by step

nutpicking traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English picking

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishpickingpresent participle of pick; A gathering to pick...
2EnglishpickA tool used for digging; a pickaxe; A tool for...
3Middle EnglishpikenTo pick at; to use a edged tool on; To pierce or...
4Middle EnglishpykeA sharp round point or projection; A point or end...
5Old Englishpīcpointed object, pick axe
6Proto-Germanic*pīk
7Latinpixpitch, tar
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpik-to be angry; pitch; resin
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpi-sap, juice

via English Nut

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNutThe goddess who serves as the personification of the sky
2Middle Englishnotenote; Alternative form of not
3Old Englishnotuuse; enjoyment; profit, advantage, utility
4Proto-Germanicnutōuse, profit, yield
5Proto-Indo-Europeannewd-to seize; grasp; use; to grasp, seize, use; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pi-