Where does “top” come from?
Top descends from Old English top, from Proto-Germanic tuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European dumb-, a root of uncertain meaning.
top (English): The highest or uppermost part of something; A...
Definitions
- The highest or uppermost part of something; A...
Ancestry of “top”, step by step
top traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English top
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | top | The summit or top of something, especially a... |
| 2 | Old English | topp | top, summit (of something) |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *topp | top, summit, crest |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | tuppaz | tuft, plait; top, summit |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dumb- | tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,... |