Where does “thickneck” come from?

thickneck (English) comes from English neck, from Middle English nekke, from Old English hnecca, from Proto-West Germanic *hnakkō, from Proto-Germanic hnakkô, from Proto-Indo-European knog-, from Proto-Indo-European ken- — to arise, begin.

thickneck (English): A thuggish enforcer; a goon

Definitions

  1. A thuggish enforcer; a goon

Ancestry of “thickneck”, step by step

thickneck traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English neck

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishneckThe part of the body connecting the head and the...
2Middle Englishnekkeneck
3Old Englishhneccaback of the neck; back of the head; neck
4Proto-West Germanic*hnakkōnape
5Proto-Germanichnakkôthe back of the neck; nape
6Proto-Indo-Europeanknog-back of the head, nape, neck
7Proto-Indo-Europeanken-to arise, begin

via English thick

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthickRelatively great in extent from one surface to...
2Middle EnglishthikkeAlternative form of thicke
3Old Englishþiccethick
4Proto-West Germanicþikkwīthick
5Proto-Germanicþekuzthick
6Proto-Indo-Europeantégusthick
7Proto-Indo-Europeanteg-
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ken-Every word from Proto-Indo-European knog-Every word from Proto-Germanic hnakkô