Where does “thorny” come from?
Thorny comes from Middle English thorny, formed with the Middle English suffix -en added to a base ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ter- and en, meaning to pierce or penetrate.
thorny (English): having thorns or spines; troublesome or...
Definitions
- having thorns or spines; troublesome or...
Ancestry of “thorny”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | þorny | Alternative form of thorny |
| 2 | Old English | þorniġ | thorny, full of thorns |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | þornag | full of thorns, thorny |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | þorn | thorn, briar |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þurnuz | thorn, briar |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tr̥nós | sharp, stiff |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ter- | strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to... |