Where does “sneeze” come from?
Sneeze comes from Middle English snesen, from Middle English fnesen, from Old English fnēosan, from Proto-Germanic fneusaną, from Proto-Indo-European pnew-.
sneeze (English): To expel air as a reflex induced by an irritation...
Definitions
- To expel air as a reflex induced by an irritation...
Ancestry of “sneeze”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | snesen | To sneeze |
| 2 | Middle English | fnesen | Alternative form of snesen; to sneeze |
| 3 | Old English | fnēosan | to snort, sneeze; to sneeze |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fneusan | to sneeze |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fneusaną | to sneeze |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pnew- | to pant, breathe |
Words derived from “sneeze”