Where does “tearthumb” come from?
tearthumb (English) comes from English tear, from Middle English tear, from Old English teagor, from Proto-West Germanic tah(h)r, from Proto-Germanic tahrą, from Proto-Indo-European dáḱru-, from Proto-Indo-European dr̥ḱ-h₂eḱru- — eye bitter.
tearthumb (English): Any of a group of annual vining plants within the...
Definitions
- Any of a group of annual vining plants within the...
Ancestry of “tearthumb”, step by step
tearthumb traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tear | To rend by holding or restraining in two places... |
| 2 | Middle English | tear | Alternative form of tere |
| 3 | Old English | teagor | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | tah(h)r | tear |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tahrą | tear |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dáḱru- | tears; tear |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dr̥ḱ-h₂eḱru- | eye bitter |
via English thumb
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thumb | The short thick digit of the hand that for humans... |
| 2 | Middle English | þombe | thumb; thumb-length; big toe |
| 3 | Old English | þūma | thumb |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | þūmō | thumb |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þūmô | thumb |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tūm- | to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |