Where does “cute” come from?
cute (Old French) comes from Latin cubitus, from Latin cubitum, from Latin cubō, from Proto-Italic kubāō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱewb-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱew-, from Proto-Indo-European gʷṓws — cattle.
Ancestry of “cute”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | cubitus | reclined, lying down, having been reclined; a... |
| 2 | Latin | cubitum | elbow; cubit; accusative supine of cubō |
| 3 | Latin | cubō | to lie down, recline |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | kubāō | to lie down |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewb- | briar, thorn |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱew- | skin, colour of the skin; to shine; bright; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷṓws | cattle |