Where does “tiny” come from?
Tiny comes from Middle English tine, from Middle English tind, from Old English tind, from Proto-Germanic þīnaz, from Proto-Indo-European (e)dont-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European túh₂ meaning to swell.
tiny (English): Very small; A small child; an infant; Anything...
Definitions
- Very small; A small child; an infant; Anything...
Ancestry of “tiny”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tine | Alternative form of þin |
| 2 | Middle English | tinde | — |
| 3 | Old English | tind | a point or prong on a weapon or implement; a tine |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *tind | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tindaz | tooth; cog; peg; tine; nail; spike; prong; peak;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃dónts | tooth |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ed- | to eat |