Where does “sucker” come from?
sucker (Middle Low German) comes from Middle High German zucker, from Old High German zuckar, from Italian zucchero, from Arabic سُكَّر, from Persian شکر, from Middle Persian škl, from Sanskrit शर्करा, from Proto-Indo-Aryan śárkaraH — gravel, boulder; boulder; gravel.
Ancestry of “sucker”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | zucker | — |
| 2 | Old High German | zuckar | — |
| 3 | Italian | zucchero | sugar; first-person singular indicative present... |
| 4 | Arabic | سُكَّر | — |
| 5 | Persian | شکر | sugar |
| 6 | Middle Persian | škl | sugar |
| 7 | Sanskrit | शर्करा | gravel, grit, pebbles, shingle, gravelly mould or... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | śárkaraH | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | ćárkaraH | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorkeh₂ | gravel, boulder; boulder; gravel |
Words derived from “sucker”