Where does “ca canny” come from?
ca canny (Scots) comes from Scots canny, from Scots can, from Middle English can, from Middle English cunnen, from Old English cunnan, from Proto-West Germanic kunnan, from Proto-Germanic kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- — to know.
ca canny (Scots): to drive gently; hence, to go easy, to be careful
Definitions
- to drive gently; hence, to go easy, to be careful
Ancestry of “ca canny”, step by step
ca canny traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Scots canny
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scots | canny | careful, cautious, prudent or steady;... |
| 2 | Scots | can | can; be able to |
| 3 | Middle English | can | Alternative form of canne |
| 4 | Middle English | cunnen | To know about; To be able to; to have the... |
| 5 | Old English | cunnan | to know, to be familiar with; can, to know how |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | kunnan | to recognise; to know how, to be able |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | kunnaną | to know, to be familiar with, to recognise; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneh₃- | to know |
via Scots ca
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scots | ca | call; summon; drive something |