Where does “smock-smelling” come from?
smock-smelling (English) comes from English smelling, from English smell, from Middle English smellen, from Old English smiellan, from Proto-West Germanic smallijan, from Proto-Indo-European smel- — to burn, smoulder, smoke; tar, pitch; to burn,...
smock-smelling (English): The activity of flirting, seducing or pursuing women
Definitions
- The activity of flirting, seducing or pursuing women
Ancestry of “smock-smelling”, step by step
smock-smelling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English smelling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | smelling | present participle of smell; Used in adjectival... |
| 2 | English | smell | A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by... |
| 3 | Middle English | smellen | To sense a smell or smells; To give off an odor;... |
| 4 | Old English | smiellan | to fume, reek |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | smallijan | to glow, burn, smoulder |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | smel- | to burn, smoulder, smoke; tar, pitch; to burn,... |