Where does “pierced earring” come from?
pierced earring (English) comes from English earring, from Middle English erering, from Old English ēarhring, from Old English hring, from Proto-West Germanic hring, from Proto-Germanic hringaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)krengʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- — to cut, cut off, sever.
pierced earring (English): An earring that is designed to go through an ear...
Definitions
- An earring that is designed to go through an ear...
Ancestry of “pierced earring”, step by step
pierced earring traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English earring
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | earring | A piece of jewelry worn on the ear |
| 2 | Middle English | erering | — |
| 3 | Old English | ēarhring | ear-ring |
| 4 | Old English | hring | ring |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hring | ring, circle |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hringaz | ring, circle; curve; sound, ring |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)krengʰ- | to turn, bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
via English pierced ear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pierced ear | — |