inch

inch · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European*ís?
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁óynos
3. Proto-Italic*oinos
4. Old Latinoinos
5. Latinūnus
6. Latinūnicus
7. Ancient Greekὀγκία (onkía)bor.?
8. Latinuncia
9. Proto-West Germanic*unciju
10. Old Englishynċe
11. Middle Englishynche
12. English todayinch

From Middle English ynche, enche, from Old English ynċe, borrowed from Latin ū̆ncia (“Roman inch, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of ounce, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah.

inch · noun²

1. Old Irishinse
2. Middle Irishinse
3. Early Scotsynche
4. Middle Scotsinch
5. Scotsinch
6. English todayinch

Borrowed from Scots inch, from Middle Scots inch, form Early Scots ynche, from Middle Irish inse, oblique form of inis, from Old Irish inis, from Proto-Celtic *enistī.

inch · adjective, verb³

1. Cantonese · semantic loan from寸“inch”
2. English todayinch

Semantic loan from Cantonese 寸 (cyun³, “inch”), which is an alternative form of 串 (cyun³, “cocky; to provoke; etc.”).

Words from the same roots