smicker

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*smey-“to smear, stroke, wipe, rub”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*smikraz“fine, elegant, delicate, tender”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*smikr
4. Old English · inherited fromsmicer
5. Middle English · inherited fromsmiker
6. English todaysmicker

From Middle English smiker, from Old English smicer, smicor (“beauteous, beautiful, elegant, fair, fine, neat, tasteful”), from Proto-West Germanic *smikr, from Proto-Germanic *smikraz (“fine, elegant, delicate, tender”), of uncertain origin, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *smey- (“to smear, stroke, wipe, rub”). Cognate with Middle High German smecker (“neat, elegant”), Ancient Greek σμικρός (smikrós), μικρός (mikrós, “small, short”), Lithuanian smeigti (“to lunge, thrust, jab”), Latin mīca (“crumb, morsel, bit”). For the verb, compare Swedish smickra (“to flatter, coax, wheedle, butter up”), Danish smigre (“to flatter”).

Words from the same roots