Where does “wonky” come from?
wonky (English) comes from English wanky, from Middle English wankel, from Old English wancol, from Proto-West Germanic wankul, from Proto-West Germanic wankōn, from Proto-Germanic wankōną, from Proto-Germanic weganą, from Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ- — to bring; to transport.
wonky (English): Lopsided, misaligned or off-centre; Feeble, shaky...
Definitions
- Lopsided, misaligned or off-centre; Feeble, shaky...
Ancestry of “wonky”, step by step
wonky traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wanky
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wanky | Like a wanker; foolish or objectionable;... |
| 2 | Middle English | wankel | unstable, mutable, tottering, unconstant |
| 3 | Old English | wancol | unstable, unsteady, uncertain, fickle,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wankul | swaying, wavering, tottering; shaky, unsteady,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wankōn | to sway, to waver |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wankōną | to sway, to waver |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | weganą | to move, to carry; to weigh |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵʰ- | to bring; to transport |
via English wonk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wonk | An overly studious person, particularly student;... |
| 2 | English | wanker | A person who wanks; An idiot, a stupid person; An... |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |