Where does “rattlebrained” come from?
rattlebrained (English) comes from English rattle, from Arabic رَطْل, from Classical Syriac ܪܝܛܠܐ, from Classical Syriac ܠܝܛܪܐ, from French litre, from Medieval Latin litra, from Ancient Greek λίτρα, from Proto-Italic *līðrā — ingot.
rattlebrained (English): Foolish
Definitions
- Foolish
Ancestry of “rattlebrained”, step by step
rattlebrained traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English rattle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rattle | a sound made by loose objects shaking or... |
| 2 | Arabic | رَطْل | — |
| 3 | Classical Syriac | ܪܝܛܠܐ | — |
| 4 | Classical Syriac | ܠܝܛܪܐ | libra, pound |
| 5 | French | litre | litre |
| 6 | Medieval Latin | litra | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | λίτρα | litra, a Sicilian silver coin; libra, a unit of... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *līðrā | ingot |
via English brained
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | brained | Having a particular kind or number of brain;... |
| 2 | English | brain | The control center of the central nervous system... |
| 3 | Middle English | brayn | The brain or cerebrum; the organ of thought;... |
| 4 | Old English | bræġn | brain |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *bragn | brain |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bragną | brain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mregʰnom | skull, brain |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |