Where does “whatsit” come from?
whatsit (English) comes 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, from Proto-Germanic tūną — smoke; mist, haze.
whatsit (English): A thing (used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall, or that one is embarrassed to say)
Definitions
- A thing (used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall, or that one is embarrassed to say)
Ancestry of “whatsit”, step by step
whatsit traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English what
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | what | Which thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used... |
| 2 | Middle English | what | what |
| 3 | Old English | hwæt | what; why; how many or how much |
| 4 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 5 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 6 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 9 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 10 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |