Where does “tiddlywinker” come from?
tiddlywinker (English) comes from English tiddlywink, from English tiddly, from English wink, from English periwinkle, from Middle English pinewinkle, from Old English pīnewincle, from Latin pina, from Ancient Greek πίνη — Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots.
tiddlywinker (English): A player of the game of tiddlywinks
Definitions
- A player of the game of tiddlywinks
Ancestry of “tiddlywinker”, step by step
tiddlywinker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tiddlywink
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tiddlywink | A small disc used in the game of tiddlywinks; An... |
| 2 | English | tiddly | An alcoholic beverage |
| 3 | English | wink | To close one's eyes in sleep; To close one's... |
| 4 | English | periwinkle | Any of several evergreen plants of the genus... |
| 5 | Middle English | pinewinkle | — |
| 6 | Old English | pīnewincle | — |
| 7 | Latin | pina | sea pen |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | πίνη | pen shell; pearl shell, pearl |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | τηρέω | to watch over, take care of, guard; to have an... |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | -έω | Used to form verbs from nouns, adjectives and... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -éyeti | Forms causative imperfective verbs from roots;... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -yeti | Creates transitive imperfective verbs from roots |
via English ER
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ER | The statistic "Earned Run"; Initialism of... |
| 2 | Turkish | er | early; brave; man, male |
| 3 | Ottoman Turkish | ایر | saddle, a seat for a rider placed on the back of a horse or other animal |
| 4 | Old Anatolian Turkish | ایر | early, at a time in advance of the usual or expected event |
| 5 | Proto-Turkic | ēder | saddle |