Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “smartarsed” come from?

smartarsed (English) comes from English Smart, from English Ness, from Middle English nesse, from Old English næs, from Proto-Germanic nasją, from Proto-Indo-European néh₂s — nose.

smartarsed (English): Alternative form of smartassed

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of smartassed

Ancestry of “smartarsed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSmart—
2EnglishNess—
3Middle Englishnesse—
4Old Englishnæsnot, not at all; not; first/third-person singular...
5Proto-Germanicnasjąfoothill; headland; cape
6Proto-Indo-Europeannéh₂snose
Every word from Proto-Indo-European néh₂s →