Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tops” come from?

Top comes from Middle English toppe, Old English top, Proto-Germanic tuppaz, and Proto-Indo-European dumb-, with the original sense referring to a protruding point or knob.

tops (English): At the very most; as a maximum; Great; excellent;...

Definitions

  1. At the very most; as a maximum; Great; excellent;...

Ancestry of “tops”, 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,...

Words derived from “tops”

  • topsy-turvy
  • topsy-turviness
  • topsy-turvily
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dumb- →