Where does “thimble” come from?
Thimble comes from Middle English thymbyll, from Old English þȳmel, from Proto-Germanic þūmilaz with the diminutive suffix -ilaz, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root tewh₂-.
thimble (English): A pitted, now usually metal, cap for the fingers,...
Definitions
- A pitted, now usually metal, cap for the fingers,...
Ancestry of “thimble”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | thymbyll | thimble |
| 2 | Old English | þȳmel | thumbstall; fingerstall; thimble |
| 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 |