Where does “you-know-who” come from?
you-know-who (English) comes from English WHO, from English ’s, from English Kingstown, from English town, from Middle English toun, from Middle English ende, from Old English ende, from Proto-Germanic andi — on, onto.
you-know-who (English): Person or entity whose name one does not want to...
Definitions
- Person or entity whose name one does not want to...
Ancestry of “you-know-who”, step by step
you-know-who traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English WHO
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | WHO | — |
| 2 | English | ’s | — |
| 3 | English | Kingstown | OS grid ref NY3959 |
| 4 | English | town | A settlement; an area with residential districts,... |
| 5 | Middle English | toun | town |
| 6 | Middle English | ende | The end or finishing of a thing; the terminal... |
| 7 | Old English | ende | end, limit, border, corner |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | andi | in addition, furthermore, and |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
via English You
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | You | Honorific alternative letter-case form of you,... |
| 2 | Middle English | yow | Second-person plural object pronoun: you;... |
| 3 | Old English | ēow | Wo!, Alas!; sheep |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | iwwiz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | izwiz | accusative/dative/instrumental of *jūz |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *jūz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | túh₂ | you, thou |
via English know
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | know | To perceive the truth or factuality of; to be... |
| 2 | Middle English | knowen | to know |
| 3 | Old English | cnāwan | to know, perceive, recognise; to know, recognise,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | knāan | to recognise, to know |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | knēaną | to know, recognise, understand |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneh₃- | to know |