Where does “sorry-ass” come from?
sorry-ass (English) comes from English ass, from Middle English asse, from Old English assa, from Old English assen, from Latin asinus, from Latin acinus, from Latin acies, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- — sharp.
sorry-ass (English): Pitiful, worthless; utterly terrible or dire
Definitions
- Pitiful, worthless; utterly terrible or dire
Ancestry of “sorry-ass”, step by step
sorry-ass traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ass
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ass | Any of several species of horse-like animals,... |
| 2 | Middle English | asse | Alternative form of axen |
| 3 | Old English | assa | ass, donkey |
| 4 | Old English | assen | she-ass |
| 5 | Latin | asinus | a donkey, an ass; an ass, an idiot, a dolt, a... |
| 6 | Latin | acinus | a berry, especially the grape; the seed of a... |
| 7 | Latin | acies | sharp edge or point; battle line; battle,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eḱ- | sharp |
via English sorry
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sorry | Regretful for an action; grieved or saddened,... |
| 2 | Middle English | sory | sad, sorrowful; pitiful, downtrodden, dismal;... |
| 3 | Old English | sāriġ | feeling or expressing grief, sorry, grieved,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | sairagaz | sad; saddened; grieved; sorry |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sairą | wound; sore |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sairaz | sore, painful |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂yro- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂y- | to bind; to be fierce, afflict; to tie, bind |