Where does “眉を顰める” come from?

眉を顰める (Japanese) comes from Japanese を, from Proto-Japonic wo — accusative marker; away from, off.

Ancestry of “眉を顰める”, step by step

眉を顰める traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese を

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1JapaneseをA case particle; A conjunctive particle, usually...
2Proto-Japonicwoaccusative marker; away from, off

via Japanese 眉

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese眉eyebrow
2Middle Chinese眉—
Every word from Proto-Japonic wo →Every word from Japanese を →