Where does “tic-” come from?
tic- (Middle English) comes from Middle English tiche, from Old English tiċċen, from Proto-West Germanic tikkīn, from Proto-West Germanic tigā — she-goat.
Ancestry of “tic-”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tiche | — |
| 2 | Old English | tiċċen | young goat; kid; goatling |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | tikkīn | kid, young goat |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | tigā | she-goat |