Where does “wing nut” come from?

wing nut (English) comes from English wing, from English woman, from Middle English womman, from Old English wīfmann, from Old English mann, from Proto-West Germanic mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-, from Proto-Indo-European men- — to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,...

wing nut (English): A nut with wing-like projections to provide...

Definitions

  1. A nut with wing-like projections to provide...

Ancestry of “wing nut”, step by step

wing nut traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English wing

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwingAn appendage of an animal's body that enables it...
2EnglishwomanAn adult female human; All female humans...
3Middle EnglishwommanAn female adult person; a woman; The female sex...
4Old Englishwīfmannwoman; female servant; woman
5Old Englishmannperson; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult...
6Proto-West Germanicmannperson, human
7Proto-Germanic*mann-
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmen-to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,...

via English Nut

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishNutThe goddess who serves as the personification of the sky
2Middle Englishnotenote; Alternative form of not
3Old Englishnotuuse; enjoyment; profit, advantage, utility
4Proto-Germanicnutōuse, profit, yield
5Proto-Indo-Europeannewd-to seize; grasp; use; to grasp, seize, use; to...

Words derived from “wing nut

Every word from Proto-Indo-European men-