Where does “pick” come from?
I notice the chain provided contains only English and Middle English forms with repetitive cycles (peep, pip, pippin recurring), lacks semantic information, and creates circular references rather than a linear etymology.
I cannot write an accurate origin summary because:
1. The chain doesn't progress to ancestor languages (Old English, Proto-Germanic, etc.)
2. No meanings are supplied to explain sense development
3. The repetitive structure suggests data corruption rather than a genuine etymological path
4. The relationship between "pikken" and the cycling terms is unexplained
To write a proper one-sentence etymology, I would need:
- A complete chain progressing to the earliest attested or reconstructed source
- The actual meaning(s) at key stages
- Clear linear progression without cycles
Could you provide the full etymological chain for "pick"?
pick (English): A tool used for digging; a pickaxe; A tool for...
Definitions
- A tool used for digging; a pickaxe; A tool for...
Ancestry of “pick”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | piken | To pick at; to use a edged tool on; To pierce or... |
| 2 | Middle English | pyke | A sharp round point or projection; A point or end... |
| 3 | Old English | pīc | pointed object, pick axe |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *pīk | — |
| 5 | Latin | pix | pitch, tar |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pik- | to be angry; pitch; resin |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pi- | sap, juice |
Words derived from “pick”