Where does “penny-ante” come from?
penny-ante (English) comes from English penny, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
penny-ante (English): Of or pertaining to penny ante poker; Played for...
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to penny ante poker; Played for...
Ancestry of “penny-ante”, step by step
penny-ante traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English penny
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | penny | In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via English ante
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ante | A price or cost, as in up the ante; In poker and... |
| 2 | Latin | ante | before, in front, forwards; before; before,... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | κλίσις | bending, inclination; a lying down; a place for... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -σῐς | "suffix forming nouns" |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τις | retained after dentals |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |