Where does “尻尾を振る” come from?
尻尾を振る (Japanese) comes from Japanese 尻尾, from Japanese 尾, from Old Japanese 尾.
尻尾を振る (Japanese): to flatter; to butter up
Definitions
- to flatter; to butter up
Ancestry of “尻尾を振る”, step by step
尻尾を振る traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 尻尾
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 尻尾 | tail |
| 2 | Japanese | 尾 | a tail; the foot of a mountain; the end of... |
| 3 | Old Japanese | 尾 | — |
via Japanese を
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | を | A case particle; A conjunctive particle, usually... |
| 2 | Proto-Japonic | wo | accusative marker; away from, off |
via Japanese 振る
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 振る | to shake; to wave; to wag; to swing; to move... |