Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “queenie” come from?

queenie (English) comes from English Queen, from Middle English quene, from Old English cwene, from Old English cwēn, from Proto-West Germanic kwāni, from Proto-Germanic kwēniz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷḗn, from Proto-Indo-European gʷen- — woman.

queenie (English): An effeminate man; a male homosexual; The queen...

Definitions

  1. An effeminate man; a male homosexual; The queen...

Ancestry of “queenie”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishQueen—
2Middle EnglishqueneA queen; Any powerful woman noble; A female...
3Old Englishcwenea woman; inflection of cwēn: ##...
4Old Englishcwēnqueen; woman, wife, queen
5Proto-West Germanickwāniwoman, wife
6Proto-Germanickwēnizwife
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷḗnwoman
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷen-woman
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷen- →