Where does “smoke” come from?
Smoke comes from Old English smoca, from Proto-Germanic smukô, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meug(h)-, ultimately traced to the same root as Proto-Germanic smaukaną and Proto-Indo-European (s)mewg-.
smoke (English): The visible vapor/vapour, gases, and fine...
Definitions
- The visible vapor/vapour, gases, and fine...
Ancestry of “smoke”, step by step
smoke traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English smoke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | smoke | smoke |
| 2 | Old English | smoca | smoke |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | smukô | smoke, nebulous air |
| 4 | Danish | smug- | secretly |
via Middle English smoken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | smoken | To perfume; to scent |
| 2 | Old English | smocian | to smoke |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | smokōn | to smoke |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meug(h)- | to smoke |