Where does “toothache” come from?
Toothache comes from Middle English ache, Old English ǣcen, Latin apium, and Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ-, meaning to drive or move.
toothache (English): A pain or ache in a tooth
Definitions
- A pain or ache in a tooth
Ancestry of “toothache”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | ache | To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in,... |
| 2 | Middle English | ache | Aching; long-lasting hurting or injury; A plant... |
| 3 | Old French | ache | — |
| 4 | Latin | apium | parsley; celery; genitive plural of apis |
| 5 | Latin | Apis | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Ἄπις | — |
| 7 | Coptic | ϩⲁⲡⲉ | — |
| 8 | Egyptian | ḥp | — |
Words derived from “toothache”