Where does “tommelfingerregel” come from?
tommelfingerregel (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål tommelfinger, from Norwegian Bokmål tommel, from Old Norse þumall, from Proto-Germanic þūmilaz, from Proto-Germanic þūmô, from Proto-Indo-European tūm-, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.
tommelfingerregel (Norwegian Bokmål): a rule of thumb
Definitions
- a rule of thumb
Ancestry of “tommelfingerregel”, step by step
tommelfingerregel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Norwegian Bokmål tommelfinger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | tommelfinger | a thumb |
| 2 | Norwegian Bokmål | tommel | a thumb |
| 3 | Old Norse | þumall | thumb |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þūmilaz | thumb-covering; thumb-sheath |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þūmô | thumb |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tūm- | to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |
via Norwegian Bokmål regel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | regel | a rule |
| 2 | Latin | rēgula | rule, bar |
| 3 | Latin | -ula | regō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |