cut

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*kwetwą“meat, flesh”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*kutjaną
3. Old Norse · derived from*kytja
4. North Germanic · derived from
5. Middle English · inherited fromcutten
6. English todaycut

From Middle English cutten, of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *kytja, *kutta, from Proto-Germanic *kutjaną, *kuttaną (“to cut”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *kwetwą (“meat, flesh”) (compare Old Norse kvett (“meat”)). Sometimes instead compared to French couteau, itself from Latin culter (“knife”). Copmare Scots kut, kit (“to cut”)); also akin to Middle Swedish kotta (“to cut or carve with a knife”) (compare dialectal Swedish kåta, kuta (“to cut or chip with a knife”), Swedish kuta, kytti (“a knife”)), Norwegian Bokmål kutte (“to cut”), Norwegian Nynorsk kutte (“to cut”), Icelandic kuta (“to cut with a knife”), Old Norse kuti (“small knife”), Norwegian kyttel, kytel, kjutul (“pointed slip of wood used to strip bark”). Displaced Middle English snithen (from snīþan), still attested in dialectal snithe and snead. See snide. The adjective sense of "drunk" (now rare and now usually used in the originally humorous derivative form of half-cut) dates from the 17th century, from cut in the leg or to have cut your leg, a euphemism for being very drunk.

First known use, by meaning

• from 20th c. Upset, angry; emotionally hurt.