Where does “twentysomething” come from?
twentysomething (English) comes from English -something, from English something, from Middle English somþyng, from Old English sum, from Proto-West Germanic *sum, from Proto-Germanic sumaz, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.
twentysomething (English): A person whose age is between twenty and...
Definitions
- A person whose age is between twenty and...
Ancestry of “twentysomething”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | -something | Indicating approximation, as in a range of... |
| 2 | English | something | An uncertain or unspecified thing; one thing; A... |
| 3 | Middle English | somþyng | something |
| 4 | Old English | sum | some |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *sum | some |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sumaz | some (one), a certain (one) |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |