Where does “whatchacallit” come from?
whatchacallit (English) comes from English whatcha, from English what, from Middle English what, from Old English hwæt, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn — smoke; mist, haze.
whatchacallit (English): a whatchamacallit
Definitions
- a whatchamacallit
Ancestry of “whatchacallit”, step by step
whatchacallit traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English whatcha
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | whatcha | — |
| 2 | English | what | Which thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used... |
| 3 | Middle English | what | what |
| 4 | Old English | hwæt | what; why; how many or how much |
| 5 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 6 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 7 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 10 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 11 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via English call
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | call | A telephone conversation; a phone call; An... |
| 2 | Middle English | callen | to call |
| 3 | Old English | ceallian | to call; to cry out, shout |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *kalʀōn | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kalzōną | to call, shout |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kalzaz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gols- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gels- | voice, cry; to call; voice, cry; to call |