Where does “softneck” come from?

softneck (English) comes from English neck, from Middle English nekke, from Old English hnecca, from Proto-West Germanic *hnakkō, from Proto-Germanic hnakkô, from Proto-Indo-European knog-, from Proto-Indo-European ken- — to arise, begin.

softneck (English): Any of the varieties of garlic that lack a stiff central stem or scape

Definitions

  1. Any of the varieties of garlic that lack a stiff central stem or scape

Ancestry of “softneck”, step by step

softneck traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English neck

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishneckThe part of the body connecting the head and the...
2Middle Englishnekkeneck
3Old Englishhneccaback of the neck; back of the head; neck
4Proto-West Germanic*hnakkōnape
5Proto-Germanichnakkôthe back of the neck; nape
6Proto-Indo-Europeanknog-back of the head, nape, neck
7Proto-Indo-Europeanken-to arise, begin

via English soft

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsoftEasily giving way under pressure; Smooth and...
2Middle Englishsoftesoft
3Old Englishsōftesoftly
4Proto-West Germanicsamftōsoftly, gently
5Proto-West GermanicCreates adverbs from adjectives; Creates agent...
6Proto-Germanic-ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade...
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanDerives nouns from roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ken-Every word from Proto-Indo-European knog-Every word from Proto-Germanic hnakkô