Where does “головоломка” come from?
головоломка (Ukrainian) comes from Ukrainian голова, from Ukrainian рі́зати, from Old East Slavic рѣзати, from Proto-Slavic rězati, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *rḗˀźtei, from Proto-Indo-European wreh₁ǵ- — to break, tear.
головоломка (Ukrainian): puzzle, brain-teaser
Definitions
- puzzle, brain-teaser
Ancestry of “головоломка”, step by step
головоломка traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Ukrainian голова
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukrainian | голова | head; chair, chairman, chairperson; chairman,... |
| 2 | Ukrainian | рі́зати | to cut, to slice, to carve |
| 3 | Old East Slavic | рѣзати | — |
| 4 | Proto-Slavic | rězati | to cut, to slice; to crop, to shear; to trim |
| 5 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | *rḗˀźtei | to cut |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wreh₁ǵ- | to break, tear |
via Ukrainian лама́ти
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukrainian | лама́ти | to break, to smash, to fracture |