Where does “steely-eyed” come from?
steely-eyed (English) comes from English steely, from English steel, from English -ville, from French ville, from Middle French ville, from Old French ville, from Latin vīlla, from Latin vetera — Derives action nouns from verb roots.
steely-eyed (English): Having a hard, strong, and determined look about oneself
Definitions
- Having a hard, strong, and determined look about oneself
Ancestry of “steely-eyed”, step by step
steely-eyed traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English steely
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | steely | Having qualities resembling those of steel,... |
| 2 | English | steel | An artificial metal produced from iron, harder... |
| 3 | English | -ville | Used to form a name of an inhabited place, a town... |
| 4 | French | ville | town, city |
| 5 | Middle French | ville | city or town |
| 6 | Old French | ville | city or town |
| 7 | Latin | vīlla | country house; villa |
| 8 | Latin | vetera | the old; old times, ancient times, antiquity |
| 9 | Latin | vetus | old, aged, elderly, ancient; long-standing;... |
| 10 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |
via English eyed
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | eyed | Having eyes; Having eye-like spots; Having the... |
| 2 | Middle English | eyed | eyed; having eye; Having holes |
| 3 | Middle English | eie | An eye; A highly valued or regarded object;... |
| 4 | Old English | ēage | eye |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | augā | eye |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | augô | eye |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ekʷ- | to see; eye |