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

  1. Having the characteristics of a sheep; Shy, meek,...

Ancestry of “sheepish”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsheepA woolly ruminant of the genus "Ovis"; A timid,...
2Middle Englishsheepsheep
3Old Englishsċēapsheep
4Proto-West Germanicskāpsheep
5Proto-Germanicskapąshape
6Proto-Germanicskapjanąto make, to create; to shape
7Proto-Indo-Europeanskab-to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,...

Words derived from “sheepish”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European skab- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skapjaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic skapą →