pinch

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*pikkōną“to pick, peck, prick”
2. Frankish · derived from*pikkōn
3. Latin · derived frompunctiō“a puncture, prick”
4. Vulgar Latin · derived from*pinciāre“to puncture, pinch”
5. Old Northern French · derived from*pinchier
6. Middle English · inherited frompinchen
7. English todaypinch

From Middle English pinchen, from Old Northern French *pinchier (compare Old French pincier, pincer (“to pinch”)), a word of uncertain origin, possibly from Vulgar Latin *pinciāre (“to puncture, pinch”), from a merger of *punctiāre (“to puncture, sting”), from Latin punctiō (“a puncture, prick”) and *piccāre (“to strike, sting”), from Frankish *pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic *pikkōną (“to pick, peck, prick”). More at point, pick and pitch.

Words from the same roots