Where does “小刻み” come from?

小刻み (Japanese) comes from Japanese 小, from Old Japanese ささ.

小刻み (Japanese): being cut in small pieces; moving in small...

Definitions

  1. being cut in small pieces; moving in small...

Ancestry of “小刻み”, step by step

小刻み traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanesesmallness; small size, small; Short for 小の月;...
2Old Japaneseささ

via Japanese 刻み

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese刻みthe {{l|ja|連用形|tr=ren'yōkei||stem or continuative...
Every word from Old Japanese ささEvery word from Japanese
小刻み — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer