Where does “smiling” come from?
Smiling comes from Middle English smilen, from Old Norse smíla, from Proto-Germanic smīlijaną, from Proto-Indo-European smey-.
smiling (English): That smiles or has a smile; The action of the...
Definitions
- That smiles or has a smile; The action of the...
Ancestry of “smiling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | smile | A facial expression comprised by flexing the... |
| 2 | Middle English | smilen | to smile |
| 3 | Old Norse | smīla | to smile |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | smīlijaną | to smile |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | smēy- | — |
Words derived from “smiling”