Where does “topple” come from?
Topple comes from Middle English -el, Old English -el, Proto-Germanic tuppaz, Proto-Indo-European dumb-, and Proto-Indo-European -lós, ultimately denoting something that tips or falls over.
topple (English): to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow...
Definitions
- to push, throw over, overturn or overthrow...
Ancestry of “topple”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -le | A frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating... |
| 2 | Middle English | -el | — |
| 3 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 4 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 5 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |