Where does “smallcoat” come from?

smallcoat (English) comes from English Small, from Middle English smal, from Old English smæl, from Proto-West Germanic smal, from Proto-Germanic smalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- — small; little.

smallcoat (English): A tightly-fitted waist-length jacket

Definitions

  1. A tightly-fitted waist-length jacket

Ancestry of “smallcoat”, step by step

smallcoat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Small

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSmallNot large or big; insignificant; few in number
2Middle EnglishsmalSmall, miniscule; Little, few, scarce; Ground...
3Old Englishsmælnarrow, slim; not broad; slender; not thick;...
4Proto-West Germanicsmalsmall
5Proto-Germanicsmalazsmall
6Proto-Indo-European(s)mal-small; little

via English coat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcoatAn outer garment covering the upper torso and...
2Middle EnglishcoteA coat, especially one worn as an undergarment or...
3Old Frenchcotteovershirt, tunic
4Frankishkottacoat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal-