Where does “wowserism” come from?
wowserism (English) comes from English wowser, from English wow, from Scots wow, from Scots wave, from Middle English waven, from Old English wafian, from Proto-Germanic wabōną, from Proto-Indo-European webʰ- — to weave, braid.
wowserism (English): moral crusading against alcohol, gambling, pornography, etc
Definitions
- moral crusading against alcohol, gambling, pornography, etc
Ancestry of “wowserism”, step by step
wowserism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wowser
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wowser | A lout or similar disruptive person; One with... |
| 2 | English | wow | An indication of excitement, surprise,... |
| 3 | Scots | wow | wow (an exclamation of astonishment or amazement) |
| 4 | Scots | wave | to wave, to move back and forth |
| 5 | Middle English | waven | To shake, swing or totter; to move to and fro; To... |
| 6 | Old English | wafian | to wave; to be agitated, astonished, amazed; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wabōną | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | webʰ- | to weave, braid |
via English ism
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ism | An ideology, system of thought, or practice that... |
| 2 | English | -ism | Used to form nouns of action or process or result... |
| 3 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |