Where does “tinker” come from?
Tinker comes from Middle English tinkere, from Old English tincere, derived from Old English tin, which traces to Proto-Germanic tiną and ultimately Proto-Indo-European dinom.
tinker (English): An itinerant tinsmith and mender of household...
Definitions
- An itinerant tinsmith and mender of household...
Ancestry of “tinker”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tynkere | — |
| 2 | Old English | tincere | — |
| 3 | Old English | tin | tin |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *tin | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tiną | tin |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dinom | — |
Words derived from “tinker”