Where does “thimbleman” come from?
thimbleman (English) comes from English MAN, from English manual, from Middle English manuel, from Anglo-Norman manuel, from Old French manual, from Latin manuālis, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus — human being; man; hand.
thimbleman (English): A fraudster who operates a thimblerig game
Definitions
- A fraudster who operates a thimblerig game
Ancestry of “thimbleman”, step by step
thimbleman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English MAN
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MAN | Initialism of Metropolitan Area Network |
| 2 | English | manual | A handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage... |
| 3 | Middle English | manuel | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | manuel | manual; done with the hands; handle; manual;... |
| 5 | Old French | manual | — |
| 6 | Latin | manuālis | hand |
| 7 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |
via English thimble
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thimble | A pitted, now usually metal, cap for the fingers,... |
| 2 | Middle English | thymbyll | thimble |
| 3 | Old English | þȳmel | thumbstall; fingerstall; thimble |
| 4 | Old English | þūma | thumb |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | þūmō | thumb |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | þūmô | thumb |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tūm- | to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |