Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “suckboy” come from?

suckboy (English) comes from English suck, from Middle English souken, from Old English sūcan, from Proto-West Germanic sūkan, from Proto-Germanic sūkaną, from Proto-Indo-European sug-, from Proto-Indo-European sew- — to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to...

suckboy (English): An obsequious man; a male yesman or suckup

Definitions

  1. An obsequious man; a male yesman or suckup

Ancestry of “suckboy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsuckAn instance of drawing something into one's mouth...
2Middle EnglishsoukenTo suck; to extract or draw with the mouth; To...
3Old Englishsūcanto suck
4Proto-West Germanicsūkanto suck; to suckle
5Proto-Germanicsūkanąto suck; to suckle
6Proto-Indo-Europeansug-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeansew-to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sew- →