Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “screwballer” come from?

screwballer (English) comes from English screwball, from English Ball, from Middle English bal, from Old English beall, from English beal, from Old English hyll, from Albanian hulli, from Proto-Germanic hulliz — to rise, to be tall; hill.

screwballer (English): A screwball comedy

Definitions

  1. A screwball comedy

Ancestry of “screwballer”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishscrewballA pitch thrown with added pressure by the index...
2EnglishBallsurname
3Middle EnglishbalA ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,...
4Old Englishbeallball
5EnglishbealA small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather...
6Old Englishhyllhill
7Albanianhullifurrow
8Proto-Germanichullizhill
9Proto-Indo-Europeankl̥Hníshill
10Proto-Indo-EuropeankelH-to rise, to be tall; hill
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kelH- →