Where does “quicksilverish” come from?
quicksilverish (English) comes from English quicksilver, from Middle English quyk silver, from Old English cwicseolfor, from Old English cwic, from Proto-West Germanic *kwiku, from Proto-Germanic kwikwaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, from Proto-Indo-European gʷeih₃w- — to live.
quicksilverish (English): Like quicksilver
Definitions
- Like quicksilver
Ancestry of “quicksilverish”, step by step
quicksilverish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English quicksilver
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | quicksilver | The metal mercury; An amalgam of mercury and tin... |
| 2 | Middle English | quyk silver | quicksilver, mercury |
| 3 | Old English | cwicseolfor | mercury |
| 4 | Old English | cwic | living, live, alive; mentally agile; intelligent,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *kwiku | alive |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kwikwaz | alive; lively, quick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |
via English ish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ish | Pronunciation spelling of is; somewhat,... |
| 2 | English | -ish | Typical of, similar to, being like; Somewhat,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ish | Alternative form of -yssh |
| 4 | Old English | -isċ | -ish |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -isk | Creates adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -iskaz | Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iskos | Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to |