Where does “thumbsucker” come from?
thumbsucker (English) comes from English sucker, from English suck, from Middle English souken, from Old English sūcan, from Proto-West Germanic sūkan, from Proto-Germanic sūkaną, from Proto-Indo-European sug-, from Proto-Indo-European sew- — to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to...
thumbsucker (English): Someone who sucks their thumb; A piece of serious...
Definitions
- Someone who sucks their thumb; A piece of serious...
Ancestry of “thumbsucker”, step by step
thumbsucker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sucker
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sucker | A person or animal that sucks, especially a... |
| 2 | English | suck | An instance of drawing something into one's mouth... |
| 3 | Middle English | souken | To suck; to extract or draw with the mouth; To... |
| 4 | Old English | sūcan | to suck |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | sūkan | to suck; to suckle |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sūkaną | to suck; to suckle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sug- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sew- | to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to... |
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 |