Where does “softish” come from?
softish (English) comes from English soft, from Middle English softe, from Old English sōfte, from Proto-West Germanic samftō, from Proto-West Germanic -ō, from Proto-Germanic -ô, from Proto-Indo-European -ō — Derives nouns from roots.
softish (English): Somewhat soft
Definitions
- Somewhat soft
Ancestry of “softish”, step by step
softish traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English soft
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | soft | Easily giving way under pressure; Smooth and... |
| 2 | Middle English | softe | soft |
| 3 | Old English | sōfte | softly |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | samftō | softly, gently |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ō | Creates adverbs from adjectives; Creates agent... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ô | -ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |
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 |