Where does “Einfaltspinsel” come from?
Einfaltspinsel (German) comes from German pinsel, from Middle High German bensel, from Old French pincel, from Latin pēnicellus, from Latin pēnicillum, from Latin -illus, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
Einfaltspinsel (German): simpleton
Definitions
- simpleton
Ancestry of “Einfaltspinsel”, step by step
Einfaltspinsel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German pinsel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | pinsel | paintbrush |
| 2 | Middle High German | bensel | — |
| 3 | Old French | pincel | paintbrush |
| 4 | Latin | pēnicellus | — |
| 5 | Latin | pēnicillum | A painter's brush |
| 6 | Latin | -illus | Used to form adjectives from nouns |
| 7 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |