Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spinsterish” come from?

spinsterish (English) comes from English spinster, from Middle English spynnestere, from Middle English spinnen, from Old English spinnan, from Proto-Germanic spinnaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pénh₁-ne-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- — to twist; to weave.

spinsterish (English): Resembling or characteristic of a spinster

Definitions

  1. Resembling or characteristic of a spinster

Ancestry of “spinsterish”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspinsterA woman who has never been married, especially...
2Middle Englishspynnestere—
3Middle EnglishspinnenTo spin or convert fibre into yarn; To make...
4Old Englishspinnanto spin
5Proto-Germanicspinnanąto spin
6Proto-Indo-European(s)pénh₁-ne-—
7Proto-Indo-European(s)penh₁-to twist; to weave

Words derived from “spinsterish”

  • spinsterishness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- →