Where does “sinewy” come from?
Sinewy comes from Middle English via Middle French -ie and Latin -ia, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European -kos, a suffix forming adjectives from nouns.
sinewy (English): Tough; having strong sinews; Having or showing...
Definitions
- Tough; having strong sinews; Having or showing...
Ancestry of “sinewy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | synwy | Tendonous; having tendons or a large amount of them |
| 2 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ien | Forms nouns and adjectives denoting origin, association, or residence; -ian |
| 4 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |