Where does “strong-arm” come from?
strong-arm (English) comes from English strong, from Middle English strong, from Old English strang, from Proto-West Germanic strang, from Proto-Germanic strangaz, from Proto-Indo-European strengʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European ster- — sterile, infertile.
strong-arm (English): Bullying; extortionate; Coercive, employing...
Definitions
- Bullying; extortionate; Coercive, employing...
Ancestry of “strong-arm”, step by step
strong-arm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English strong
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | strong | Capable of producing great physical force;... |
| 2 | Middle English | strong | strong; Alternative form of straunge |
| 3 | Old English | strang | strong |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | strang | severe, strict, rigorous; strong |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | strangaz | tight, strict, straight; strong |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | strengʰ- | to twist; rope, cord |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ster- | sterile, infertile |
via English Arm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Arm | Abbreviation of Armenian |
| 2 | Middle English | arm | arm; poor; miserable, wretched |
| 3 | Old English | earm | arm; poor, miserable |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | arm | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | armaz | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ermos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |