Where does “wingnut” come from?
wingnut (English) comes from English wing nut, 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- — to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,...
wingnut (English): A deciduous tree of the genus Pterocarya native...
Definitions
- A deciduous tree of the genus Pterocarya native...
Ancestry of “wingnut”, step by step
wingnut traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wing nut
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wing nut | A nut with wing-like projections to provide... |
| 2 | English | wing | An appendage of an animal's body that enables it... |
| 3 | English | woman | An adult female human; All female humans... |
| 4 | Middle English | womman | An female adult person; a woman; The female sex... |
| 5 | Old English | wīfmann | woman; female servant; woman |
| 6 | Old English | mann | person; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult... |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | mann | person, human |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *mann- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |
via English nut
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nut | A hard-shelled seed; A piece of metal, usually... |
| 2 | Middle English | nute | — |
| 3 | Old English | hnutu | nut |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hnut | nut |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hnuts | nut |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | knew- | to scrape; scratch; rub; to scratch; scrape; rub |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ken- | to arise, begin |