Where does “top” come from?
top (Old French) comes from Frankish topp, from Proto-Germanic tuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European dumb- — tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,...
top (Old French): hair on top of one's head, forelock; top, highest...
Definitions
- hair on top of one's head, forelock; top, highest...
Ancestry of “top”, step by step
top traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Frankish topp
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frankish | topp | tuft; spinning top; summit, top |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | tuppaz | tuft, plait; top, summit |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | dumb- | tail, rod, staff, pole, penis; tail, rod, staff,... |
via Proto-West Germanic *topp
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-West Germanic | *topp | top, summit, crest |