Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sneaking” come from?

Sneaking derives from English sneak, Middle English sniken, Old English snīcan, Proto-West Germanic snīkan, Proto-Germanic snīkaną, and Proto-Indo-European sneyg-, whose original sense remains uncertain.

sneaking (English): present participle of sneak; The act of one who...

Definitions

  1. present participle of sneak; The act of one who...

Ancestry of “sneaking”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsneakOne who sneaks; one who moves stealthily to...
2Middle Englishsnikento creep, crawl
3Old Englishsnīcanto creep, crawl; to creep; crawl
4Proto-West Germanicsnīkanto crawl; to creep
5Proto-Germanicsnīkanąto crawl; to creep
6Proto-Indo-Europeansneyg-to crawl

Words derived from “sneaking”

  • sneakingly
  • sneakingness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sneyg- →