Where does “smirch” come from?
smirch (English) comes from English smear, from Middle English smeren, from Old English smerian, from Proto-West Germanic *smirwijan, from Proto-Germanic smirwijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé- — he, she.
smirch (English): Dirt, or a stain; A stain on somebody's...
Definitions
- Dirt, or a stain; A stain on somebody's...
Ancestry of “smirch”, step by step
smirch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English smear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | smear | To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing |
| 2 | Middle English | smeren | — |
| 3 | Old English | smerian | to laugh at |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *smirwijan | to smear |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | smirwijaną | to smear, anoint |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |