Where does “teething” come from?
Teething comes from Middle English teethen, from Old English tēþian, derived from Old English tōþ (tooth) with the suffix -ing, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃dónts meaning tooth.
teething (English): The eruption, through the gums, of the milk...
Definitions
- The eruption, through the gums, of the milk...
Ancestry of “teething”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ing | Used to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,... |
| 2 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 3 | Old English | -tūn | — |
| 4 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 7 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |