Where does “småbrottsling” come from?
småbrottsling (Swedish) comes from Swedish små, from Polish smar, from Middle High German smër, from Old High German smero, from Proto-West Germanic *smeru, from Proto-Germanic smerwą, from Proto-Celtic smérus, from Proto-Indo-European smérus — to fall into thought, remember, care for; to fall...
småbrottsling (Swedish): a petty criminal
Definitions
- a petty criminal
Ancestry of “småbrottsling”, step by step
småbrottsling traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Swedish små
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | små | |
| 2 | Polish | smar | grease, lubricant |
| 3 | Middle High German | smër | — |
| 4 | Old High German | smero | fat |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *smeru | grease, butter, fat |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | smerwą | grease, butter, fat |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | smérus | marrow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | smérus | grease |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | smer- | to fall into thought, remember, care for; to fall... |
via Swedish brottsling
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swedish | brottsling | a criminal |
| 2 | Swedish | -s- | rat; treecreeper; coffee |
| 3 | Swedish | -för | able; creates an adjective from a noun or adjective implying capability of being or doing the main word |
| 4 | Old Swedish | for | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | furai | before, in front of; before, in front |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |