Where does “spinsterlike” come from?
spinsterlike (English) comes from English like, from Dutch luik, from Middle Dutch luke, from Dutch luiken, from Middle Dutch luken, from Old Dutch lūcan, from Proto-West Germanic lūkan, from Proto-Germanic lūkaną — to break, tear; to break, shatter.
spinsterlike (English): Resembling or characteristic of a spinster
Definitions
- Resembling or characteristic of a spinster
Ancestry of “spinsterlike”, step by step
spinsterlike traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English like
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | like | To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of;... |
| 2 | Dutch | luik | hatch; shutter; panel, as in a triptych |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | luke | — |
| 4 | Dutch | luiken | to close, to shut |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | luken | to close, to shut; to close, to become closed |
| 6 | Old Dutch | lūcan | to close, shut |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | lūkan | to close, to shut |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | lūkaną | to close, to shut; Alternative form of *leukaną |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewǵ- | to break, tear; to break, shatter |
via English spinster
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spinster | A woman who has never been married, especially... |
| 2 | Middle English | spynnestere | A spinner; a person normally a woman who spins fibre as a job |
| 3 | Middle English | spinnen | To spin or convert fibre into yarn; To make... |
| 4 | Old English | spinnan | to spin |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | spinnaną | to spin |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pénh₁-ne- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)penh₁- | to twist; to weave |