Etymology Explorer › Norwegian Nynorsk

Where does “smugling” come from?

smugling (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Norwegian Nynorsk smugle, from Low German smuggeln, from Middle Low German smugen, from Proto-West Germanic smeugan, from Proto-Germanic *smeuganą, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mewk-, from Proto-Indo-European smewg- — to slip, glide, slide; to slip, glide; be slimy.

smugling (Norwegian Nynorsk): smuggling

Definitions

  1. smuggling

Ancestry of “smugling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Nynorsksmugleto smuggle
2Low Germansmuggeln—
3Middle Low Germansmugen—
4Proto-West Germanicsmeuganto creep, to crawl
5Proto-Germanic*smeuganą—
6Proto-Indo-European(s)mewk-to let loose, release; to slip away, escape, flee
7Proto-Indo-Europeansmewg-to slip, glide, slide; to slip, glide; be slimy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European smewg- →