Where does “sheepishly” come from?
Sheepishly derives from English sheepish, formed from Old English sheep combined with the Old English suffix -līċ and -isċ, ultimately from Proto-Germanic skēpą and Proto-Indo-European roots ḱóm and līg-.
sheepishly (English): In a sheepish way; meekly; self-consciously; with...
Definitions
- In a sheepish way; meekly; self-consciously; with...
Ancestry of “sheepishly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sheepish | Having the characteristics of a sheep; Shy, meek,... |
| 2 | English | sheep | A woolly ruminant of the genus "Ovis"; A timid,... |
| 3 | Middle English | sheep | sheep |
| 4 | Old English | sċēap | sheep |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | skāp | sheep |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skapą | shape |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | skapjaną | to make, to create; to shape |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | skab- | to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,... |