Where does “scaremonger” come from?
scaremonger (English) comes from English scare, from Middle English sker, from Middle English skerren, from Old Norse skirra, from Proto-Germanic skirzijaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- — dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth.
scaremonger (English): Someone who spreads worrying rumours or...
Definitions
- Someone who spreads worrying rumours or...
Ancestry of “scaremonger”, step by step
scaremonger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English scare
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | scare | A minor fright; A cause of slight terror;... |
| 2 | Middle English | sker | Terror, fright |
| 3 | Middle English | skerren | to frighten |
| 4 | Old Norse | skirra | frighten; to frighten; to shrink away from, shun;... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skirzijaną | to shoo, scare off |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱer- | dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth |