Where does “thumblessness” come from?
thumblessness (English) comes from English thumbless, from English thumb, from Middle English þombe, from Old English þūma, from Proto-West Germanic þūmō, from Proto-Germanic þūmô, from Proto-Indo-European tūm-, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.
thumblessness (English): Absence of thumbs
Definitions
- Absence of thumbs
Ancestry of “thumblessness”, step by step
thumblessness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English thumbless
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thumbless | Without thumbs |
| 2 | English | thumb | The short thick digit of the hand that for humans... |
| 3 | Middle English | þombe | thumb; thumb-length; big toe |
| 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 |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |