Where does “teeny-weeny” come from?
teeny-weeny (English) comes from English weeny, from German wiener, from German Wien, from Middle High German Wienne, from Old High German Wienna, from Latin Vedunia, from Proto-Celtic widus, from Proto-Indo-European h₁weydʰh₁- — two.
teeny-weeny (English): Very small; tiny; minuscule
Definitions
- Very small; tiny; minuscule
Ancestry of “teeny-weeny”, step by step
teeny-weeny traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English weeny
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | weeny | Minuscule; A wiener, a hot dog; A penis, from the... |
| 2 | German | wiener | of Vienna |
| 3 | German | Wien | Vienna |
| 4 | Middle High German | Wienne | — |
| 5 | Old High German | Wienna | — |
| 6 | Latin | Vedunia | — |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | widus | wood, trees |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁weydʰh₁- | to separate, divide |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dwi- | two; apart, asunder |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |
via English teeny
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | teeny | Very small; tiny; fretful; peevish; cross |
| 2 | English | tiny | Very small; A small child; an infant; Anything... |
| 3 | Middle English | tine | Alternative form of þin |
| 4 | Middle English | tinde | — |
| 5 | Old English | tind | a point or prong on a weapon or implement; a tine |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *tind | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tindaz | tooth; cog; peg; tine; nail; spike; prong; peak;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃dónts | tooth |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ed- | to eat |