Where does “swellhead” come from?
swellhead (English) comes from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.
swellhead (English): An arrogant or conceited person
Definitions
- An arrogant or conceited person
Ancestry of “swellhead”, step by step
swellhead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via English swell
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | swell | To become bigger, especially due to being... |
| 2 | Middle English | swellen | To swell; to grow or become bigger or stronger;... |
| 3 | Old English | swellan | to swell |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *swellan | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | swellaną | to swell |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swel- | to smolder; burn; scorch; beam, board, frame,... |