Where does “smuggish” come from?
smuggish (English) comes from English smug, from Low German smuk, from Middle Low German smuk, 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.
smuggish (English): Somewhat smug
Definitions
- Somewhat smug
Ancestry of “smuggish”, step by step
smuggish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English smug
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | smug | Irritatingly pleased with oneself, offensively... |
| 2 | Low German | smuk | — |
| 3 | Middle Low German | smuk | lithe, neat; lithe, delicate, neat, trim;... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | smeugan | to creep, to crawl |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *smeuganą | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mewk- | to let loose, release; to slip away, escape, flee |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | smewg- | to slip, glide, slide; to slip, glide; be slimy |
via English ish
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ish | Pronunciation spelling of is; somewhat,... |
| 2 | English | -ish | Typical of, similar to, being like; Somewhat,... |
| 3 | Middle English | -ish | Alternative form of -yssh |
| 4 | Old English | -isċ | -ish |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -isk | Creates adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -iskaz | Forms adjectives from nouns with the sense of... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iskos | Characteristic of, typical of, pertaining to |