Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “top oneself” come from?

top oneself (English) comes from English top, from Middle English top, from Old English topp, from Proto-West Germanic *topp, from Proto-Germanic tuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European dumb- — tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...

top oneself (English): To commit suicide; To overdose; To outdo oneself...

Definitions

  1. To commit suicide; To overdose; To outdo oneself...

Ancestry of “top oneself”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtopThe highest or uppermost part of something; A...
2Middle EnglishtopThe summit or top of something, especially a...
3Old Englishtopp—
4Proto-West Germanic*topp—
5Proto-Germanictuppaztuft, plait; top, summit
6Proto-Indo-Europeandumb-tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dumb- →