Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “smuckle” come from?

smuckle (English) comes from Dutch smokkelen, from Middle Dutch *smugen, from Old English smugan, from Proto-West Germanic smeugan, from Proto-Germanic *smeuganą, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mewk-, from Proto-Indo-European smewg- — to slip, glide, slide; to slip, glide; be slimy.

Ancestry of “smuckle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchsmokkelento smuggle, to transport contraband; to cut...
2Middle Dutch*smugen—
3Old Englishsmuganto creep, crawl, move gradually
4Proto-West Germanicsmeuganto creep, to crawl
5Proto-Germanic*smeuganą—
6Proto-Indo-European(s)mewk-to let loose, release; to slip away, escape, flee
7Proto-Indo-Europeansmewg-to slip, glide, slide; to slip, glide; be slimy

Words derived from “smuckle”

  • smuggling
  • smuggle
  • smuggler
  • antismuggling
  • smugglesome
  • antismuggler
  • smugglable
  • esmagler
Every word from Proto-Indo-European smewg- →