Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “redneck” come from?

I can't write this etymology summary because the chain provided appears corrupted or incomplete. It lists the same Proto-Indo-European root (kret-) three times consecutively, contains no clear path connecting "red," "rede," and "read" to "redneck," and includes Proto-Germanic "hnakkô" (meaning "neck") that doesn't logically connect to the other terms. Please verify the etymological chain before I attempt the summary.

redneck (English): A poor, rural, usually white and male, person...

Definitions

  1. A poor, rural, usually white and male, person...

Ancestry of “redneck”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishRedA Communist; A supporter of a sports team who...
2EnglishredeHelp, advice, counsel; Decision, a plan; To...
3Middle Englishredento counsel, advise; to study; to read
4Old Englishrǣdanto read, interpret; to counsel, advise; plot,...
5Proto-West Germanicrādanto advise, counsel, help; to devise, decide,...
6Proto-Germanicrēdanąto decide, advise
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₁dʰ-to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂reh₁-to think, reason; to arrange
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

Words derived from “redneck”

  • redneckism
  • rednecky
  • redneckery
  • redneckification
  • redneckish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →