Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “tip” come from?

tip (Middle English) comes from Proto-Germanic tuppijô, from Proto-Germanic tuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European dumb- — tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...

Ancestry of “tip”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanictuppijôto be atop
2Proto-Germanictuppaztuft, plait; top, summit
3Proto-Indo-Europeandumb-tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...

Words derived from “tip”

  • tip
  • tipping
  • tiptoe
  • fingertip
  • tooltip
  • tiptoeing
  • tipper
  • wingtip
  • tiptop
  • tippee
  • tipster
  • whitetip
  • tipstaff
  • blacktip
  • nanotip
  • supratip
  • silvertip
  • tipcat
  • microtip
  • tipless
  • tippable
  • overtip
  • tipline
  • tipcart
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dumb- →