Where does “squeamish” come from?
Squeamish derives from Middle English squeymous, from Old French escoymous, meaning easily disgusted or nauseated, though its ultimate origin remains uncertain.
squeamish (English): easily bothered or upset; tending to be nauseated...
Definitions
- easily bothered or upset; tending to be nauseated...
Ancestry of “squeamish”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | squeamous | squeamish |
| 2 | Middle English | sweme | — |
| 3 | Old English | swima | a swoon, swimming in the head |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | swimman | to swim |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swimmaną | to be unsteady; to swim; float |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swem(bʰ)- | to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim |
Words derived from “squeamish”