Where does “pinprick” come from?
Pinprick derives from English pin and prick, with pin descending through Old English pinn and Old English -ian to Proto-Indo-European bend-, while prick traces to Proto-Indo-European -éyeti through the verbal suffix -yeti.
pinprick (English): An insignificant puncture made by a pin or...
Definitions
- An insignificant puncture made by a pin or...
Ancestry of “pinprick”, step by step
pinprick traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English prick
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | prick | A small hole or perforation, caused by piercing;... |
| 2 | Middle English | prikken | to prick, pierce |
| 3 | Old English | prician | to prick |
| 4 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |