Where does “thumbnut” come from?

thumbnut (English) comes 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.

thumbnut (English): A nut with a knurled rim which can be turned with...

Definitions

  1. A nut with a knurled rim which can be turned with...

Ancestry of “thumbnut”, step by step

thumbnut traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English thumb

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthumbThe short thick digit of the hand that for humans...
2Middle Englishþombethumb; thumb-length; big toe
3Old Englishþūmathumb
4Proto-West Germanicþūmōthumb
5Proto-Germanicþūmôthumb
6Proto-Indo-Europeantūm-to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be...
7Proto-Indo-Europeantewh₂-to swell; to crowd; to be strong

via English Nut

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNutThe goddess who serves as the personification of the sky
2Middle Englishnotenote; Alternative form of not
3Old Englishnotuuse; enjoyment; profit, advantage, utility
4Proto-Germanicnutōuse, profit, yield
5Proto-Indo-Europeannewd-to seize; grasp; use; to grasp, seize, use; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂-