Where does “quicksilverishness” come from?
quicksilverishness (English) comes from English quicksilverish, 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 — to live.
quicksilverishness (English): The quality of being quicksilverish
Definitions
- The quality of being quicksilverish
Ancestry of “quicksilverishness”, step by step
quicksilverishness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English quicksilverish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | quicksilverish | Like quicksilver |
| 2 | English | quicksilver | The metal mercury; An amalgam of mercury and tin... |
| 3 | Middle English | quyk silver | quicksilver, mercury |
| 4 | Old English | cwicseolfor | mercury |
| 5 | Old English | cwic | living, live, alive; mentally agile; intelligent,... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *kwiku | alive |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | kwikwaz | alive; lively, quick |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |