Where does “shoehorn” come from?
shoehorn (English) comes from English horn, from Middle English horn, from Old English horn, from Proto-West Germanic horn, from Proto-Germanic hurną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer-, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-, from Proto-Indo-European ker- — army.
shoehorn (English): A smooth tool that assists in putting the foot...
Definitions
- A smooth tool that assists in putting the foot...
Ancestry of “shoehorn”, step by step
shoehorn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English horn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | horn | A hard growth of keratin that protrudes from the... |
| 2 | Middle English | horn | A horn; A jutting or projecting extremity of... |
| 3 | Old English | horn | horn; gable |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | horn | horn |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hurną | horn |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via English shoe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shoe | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom... |
| 2 | German | Schuh | shoe |
| 3 | Middle High German | schuo | — |
| 4 | Old High German | scuoh | shoe |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | skōh | shoe |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skōhaz | shoe |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | skewk- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kew- | to caw, to howl; to cover, hide; to cover, hide,... |