Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “chine” come from?

chine (Middle English) comes from Old English ċine, from Swahili kinu, from Proto-Germanic kinō, from Proto-Indo-European ǵi-n-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵey- — to split; divide; germinate; sprout; to split;...

Ancestry of “chine”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishċinea crack, chine, chink
2Swahilikinumortar
3Proto-GermanickinōA split; crack; A germ; sprout
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵi-n-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵey-to split; divide; germinate; sprout; to split;...

Words derived from “chine”

  • chink
  • chinky
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵey- →