Where does “tumbledown” come from?
Tumbledown comes from English tumble and down, where down derives from Old Norse dúnn, Old English dūn, and Proto-Celtic dūnom, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to smoke or rise.
tumbledown (English): in disrepair; poorly maintained
Definitions
- in disrepair; poorly maintained
Ancestry of “tumbledown”, step by step
tumbledown traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English down
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | down | From a higher position to a lower one; downwards;... |
| 2 | Middle English | doune | — |
| 3 | Old English | dūne | hill; down, downward |
| 4 | Old English | adūne | — |
| 5 | Old English | ofdūne | off the hill; down |
| 6 | Old English | dūn | hill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *dūnā | — |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via English tumble
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tumble | A fall, especially end over end; A disorderly... |
| 2 | Middle English | tumblen | to fall over and over again, tumble |
| 3 | Middle English | tumben | to fall, tumble; Alternative form of tomben |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | toumber | to fall |
| 5 | Old French | tumber | to fall |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tūmōną | to rotate; spin; revolve |