Where does “gyáva kukac” come from?
gyáva kukac (Hungarian) comes from Hungarian kukac, from Serbo-Croatian kúkac, from Serbo-Croatian kȕka, from Proto-Slavic kuka, from Proto-Balto-Slavic kaukāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European klHk(ᵂ)-(n)-.
gyáva kukac (Hungarian): chicken, scaredy-cat a coward, a person who lacks courage
Definitions
- chicken, scaredy-cat a coward, a person who lacks courage
Ancestry of “gyáva kukac”, step by step
gyáva kukac traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Hungarian kukac
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungarian | kukac | maggot; at sign, at; willy, wee-wee |
| 2 | Serbo-Croatian | kúkac | insect |
| 3 | Serbo-Croatian | kȕka | hook |
| 4 | Proto-Slavic | kuka | hook; goblin |
| 5 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | kaukāˀ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | klHk(ᵂ)-(n)- | — |
via Hungarian gyáva
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hungarian | gyáva | cowardly, fearful, lily-livered; gutless; coward |