Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pennywhistle” come from?

pennywhistle (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.

pennywhistle (English): A six-holed flute-like instrument with a fipple....

Definitions

  1. A six-holed flute-like instrument with a fipple....

Ancestry of “pennywhistle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpennyIn the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →