Where does “shrewishness” come from?
shrewishness (English) comes from English shrewish, from English shrew, from Middle English schrewen, from Middle English schrewe, from Old English sċrēawa, from Proto-Germanic skrawwaz, from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- — to caw, crow.
shrewishness (English): The quality of being shrewish
Definitions
- The quality of being shrewish
Ancestry of “shrewishness”, step by step
shrewishness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English shrewish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shrewish | Of or pertaining to a shrew; Bad-tempered;... |
| 2 | English | shrew | Any of numerous small, mouselike, chiefly... |
| 3 | Middle English | schrewen | To curse |
| 4 | Middle English | schrewe | barn mouse, shrew, evil person |
| 5 | Old English | sċrēawa | shrew |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skrawwaz | thin; meagre; frail |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |