Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “skinhead” come from?

Skinhead derives from English skin and head, with skin tracing to Middle English skinn, Old English hēafod, Proto-Germanic haubudą, and Proto-Indo-European kauput-, while head ultimately descends from Proto-Indo-European skeh₁i-d-.

skinhead (English): Someone with a shaved head; Member of the...

Definitions

  1. Someone with a shaved head; Member of the...

Ancestry of “skinhead”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheadThe part of the body of an animal or human which...
2Middle Englishheedhead; The chief, most renowned or most prominent...
3Old Englishhēafodhead; top; source, origin; chief, leader;...
4Proto-Germanichaubudąhead
5Proto-Indo-Europeankáput-head

Words derived from “skinhead”

  • skinheadism
  • skinhead
  • スキンヘッド
Every word from Proto-Indo-European káput- →