Where does “toilsome” come from?
Toilsome combines English toil, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- meaning to push or thrust, with English some, from Old English sum and Proto-Indo-European sem- meaning one or unified.
toilsome (English): Requiring continuous physical effort; laborious
Definitions
- Requiring continuous physical effort; laborious
Ancestry of “toilsome”, step by step
toilsome traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English some
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | some | A certain number, at least two; An indefinite... |
| 2 | Middle English | som | some |
| 3 | Old English | sum | some |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *sum | some |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sumaz | some (one), a certain (one) |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |
via English toil
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | toil | Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature;... |
| 2 | Middle English | toilen, toylen | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | toiller | to agitate, stir up, entangle; to dirty; to mark;... |