Where does “nuts” come from?

Nuts comes from Middle English nute, Old French note, and Latin nota, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European newd- meaning to know or perceive.

nuts (English): plural of nut; Testicles; An unbeatable hand; the...

Definitions

  1. plural of nut; Testicles; An unbeatable hand; the...

Ancestry of “nuts”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnutA hard-shelled seed; A piece of metal, usually...
2Middle Englishnute—
3Old Englishhnutunut
4Proto-West Germanichnutnut
5Proto-Germanichnutsnut
6Proto-Indo-Europeanknew-to scrape; scratch; rub; to scratch; scrape; rub
7Proto-Indo-Europeanken-to arise, begin

Words derived from “nuts”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ken- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European knew- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hnuts →