Where does “squeamishly” come from?
squeamishly (English) comes from English squeamish, from English squeamous, from Middle English sweme, from Old English swima, from Proto-West Germanic swimman, from Proto-Germanic swimmaną, from Proto-Indo-European swem(bʰ)- — to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim.
squeamishly (English): In a squeamish manner
Ancestry of “squeamishly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | squeamish | easily bothered or upset; tending to be nauseated... |
| 2 | English | squeamous | squeamish |
| 3 | Middle English | sweme | — |
| 4 | Old English | swima | a swoon, swimming in the head |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | swimman | to swim |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | swimmaną | to be unsteady; to swim; float |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | swem(bʰ)- | to bend, turn, swing; to be unsteady, move, swim |