Where does “spindleshanks” come from?
spindleshanks (English) comes from English spindle, from Middle English spyndel, from Old English spinel, from Proto-West Germanic spinnilu, from Proto-West Germanic spinnan, from Proto-Germanic spinnaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pénh₁-ne-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- — to twist; to weave.
spindleshanks (English): A thin, lanky person with long legs
Definitions
- A thin, lanky person with long legs
Ancestry of “spindleshanks”, step by step
spindleshanks traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spindle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spindle | A rod used for spinning and then winding natural... |
| 2 | Middle English | spyndel | A spindle; An rod that objects revolve around; a... |
| 3 | Old English | spinel | spindle |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | spinnilu | spindle |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | spinnan | to spin |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | spinnaną | to spin |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pénh₁-ne- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)penh₁- | to twist; to weave |
via English shanks
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shanks | plural of shank; Third-person singular simple... |