Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “slowpoke” come from?

slowpoke (English) comes from English poke, from Middle English poke, from Anglo-Norman poke, from Frankish *pokō, from Proto-Germanic *puhô, from Proto-Indo-European bew- — "low-pitch humming noise".

slowpoke (English): A person who moves slowly or takes a long time to...

Definitions

  1. A person who moves slowly or takes a long time to...

Ancestry of “slowpoke”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpokeTo prod or jab with an object such as a finger or...
2Middle Englishpoke—
3Anglo-Normanpokesack
4Frankish*pokō—
5Proto-Germanic*puhô—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbew-"low-pitch humming noise"
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bew- →