Where does “smack down” come from?
smack down (English) comes from English smack, from Dutch smakken, from Dutch en, from Middle Dutch ende, from Old Dutch endi, from Proto-West Germanic andī, from Proto-Germanic andijaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂entíos — on, onto.
smack down (English): To defeat utterly and decisively, especially in a humiliating way
Definitions
- To defeat utterly and decisively, especially in a humiliating way
Ancestry of “smack down”, step by step
smack down traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English smack
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | smack | A distinct flavor, especially if slight; A slight... |
| 2 | Dutch | smakken | to smack, to crash hard; to make noise while... |
| 3 | Dutch | en | and; well, so; plus, and |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | ende | and; end |
| 5 | Old Dutch | endi | end |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | andī | end |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | andijaz | end |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂entíos | front; forehead |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |