Etymology Explorer › Portuguese

Where does “nibble” come from?

nibble (Portuguese) comes from English nibble, from English byte, from English bite, from Middle English biten, from Old English betēon, from Old English tēon, from Old English tēohan, from Proto-West Germanic teuhan — to pull, to draw; to lead.

nibble (Portuguese): nibble

Definitions

  1. nibble

Ancestry of “nibble”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnibbleA small, quick bite taken with the front teeth;...
2EnglishbyteA short sequence of bits that can be operated on...
3EnglishbiteTo cut into something by clamping the teeth; To...
4Middle Englishbitento bite
5Old Englishbetēonto cover, surround, enclose; to cover, surround,...
6Old Englishtēonto drag, draw, pull; to train, discipline; to...
7Old Englishtēohan—
8Proto-West Germanicteuhanto pull; to lead
9Proto-Germanicteuhanąto lead; to pull behind oneself, draw, drag
10Proto-Indo-Europeandewk-to pull, to draw; to lead
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dewk- →