Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “nikking” come from?

nikking (Middle English) comes from Middle English -inge, from Middle English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum — smoke; mist, haze.

Ancestry of “nikking”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-ingeAlternative form of -ing
2Middle English-ingForms gerunds from verbs, typically referring to...
3Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
4Old English-tūn—
5Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
6Proto-West Germanictūnfence
7Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
8Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
9Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “nikking”

  • inkling
  • ningkiling
  • nyngkiling
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →