Where does “sheepish” come from?
Sheepish comes from Middle English -isch and Old English -isċ, both derived from Proto-Germanic skēpą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -iskos.
sheepish (English): Having the characteristics of a sheep; Shy, meek,...
Definitions
- Having the characteristics of a sheep; Shy, meek,...
Ancestry of “sheepish”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | sheep | A woolly ruminant of the genus "Ovis"; A timid,... |
| 2 | Middle English | sheep | sheep |
| 3 | Old English | sċēap | sheep |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | skāp | sheep |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | skapą | shape |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skapjaną | to make, to create; to shape |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | skab- | to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,... |
Words derived from “sheepish”