Where does “shamefast” come from?
shamefast (Middle English) comes from Old English scamfæst, from Old English sċamu, from Proto-West Germanic *skamu, from Proto-Germanic skamō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱeh₃- — darkness, shadow.
Ancestry of “shamefast”, step by step
shamefast traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old English scamfæst
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | scamfæst | Alternative form of sċeamfæst; bashful, shy,... |
| 2 | Old English | sċamu | shame, embarrassment |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *skamu | shame |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | skamō | shame |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱeh₃- | darkness, shadow |
via Old English sċeamfæst
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | sċeamfæst | — |