Where does “whiffiness” come from?
whiffiness (English) comes from English whiffy, from English whiff, from Old English wef, from Middle English weven, from Old English wefan, from Proto-West Germanic weban, from Proto-Germanic webaną, from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- — to weave, braid.
whiffiness (English): The quality of being whiffy; a bad smell
Definitions
- The quality of being whiffy; a bad smell
Ancestry of “whiffiness”, step by step
whiffiness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English whiffy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | whiffy | Having a bad smell |
| 2 | English | whiff | A waft; a brief, gentle breeze; a light gust of... |
| 3 | Old English | wef | web |
| 4 | Middle English | weven | To weave; to perform or do some weaving; To... |
| 5 | Old English | wefan | to weave |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | weban | to weave |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | webaną | to weave |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | webʰ- | to weave, braid |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |