Where does “schmallippig” come from?

schmallippig (German) comes from German schmal, from Middle High German smal, from Old High German smal, from Proto-West Germanic smal, from Proto-Germanic smalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- — small; little.

schmallippig (German): tight-lipped

Definitions

  1. tight-lipped

Ancestry of “schmallippig”, step by step

schmallippig traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German schmal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanschmalnarrow; small, slender
2Middle High Germansmal—
3Old High Germansmalsmall
4Proto-West Germanicsmalsmall
5Proto-Germanicsmalazsmall
6Proto-Indo-European(s)mal-small; little

via German lippe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanlippelip
2Yiddishליפּlip
3Middle High Germanlippe—
4Old High German*lippa—
5Proto-Germanic*lippjō—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mal- →Every word from Proto-Germanic smalaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic smal →