Where does “skunk(e)” come from?

skunk(e) (Old Frisian) comes from Proto-West Germanic skankō, from Proto-Germanic skankô, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kenǵ- — to limp.

Ancestry of “skunk(e)”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicskankōthigh, shank
2Proto-Germanicskankôthat which is bent; shank; thigh
3Proto-Indo-European(s)kenǵ-to limp

Words derived from “skunk(e)”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kenǵ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic skankô →Every word from Proto-West Germanic skankō →