Where does “thumbprint” come from?
thumbprint (English) comes from English print, from Middle English printen, from Middle English emprinten, from Old French empreinter, from Old French empreindre, from Latin imprimere, from Latin imprimo, from Latin īn- — in.
thumbprint (English): A print, mark or impression made by a thumb
Definitions
- A print, mark or impression made by a thumb
Ancestry of “thumbprint”, step by step
thumbprint traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English print
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Of, relating to, or writing for printed... | |
| 2 | Middle English | printen | — |
| 3 | Middle English | emprinten | — |
| 4 | Old French | empreinter | — |
| 5 | Old French | empreindre | — |
| 6 | Latin | imprimere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 7 | Latin | imprimo | I press, impress; I print, imprint, stamp |
| 8 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 9 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 10 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English thumb
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | thumb | The short thick digit of the hand that for humans... |
| 2 | Middle English | þombe | thumb; thumb-length; big toe |
| 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 |