smidgen

The story

1. English · derived fromsmit“(UK, dialectal) a stain”
2. English · derived fromsmutch“dirty mark, smudge, stain; dirt, grime; slight indication”
3. Scots · derived fromsmitch“smudge, stain; blemish; very small amount, speck, trace; small insignificant person”
4. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*smewgʰ-“smoke”
5. Proto-Germanic · derived from*smeukaną“to fume, smoke”
6. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*smauki“smoke”
7. Old English · inherited fromsmēc
8. Middle English · inherited fromsmeche
9. English todaysmidgen

Origin uncertain; possibly from smitch (“(originally Scotland, chiefly US) very small amount or quantity”) + possibly -in (a variant of -ing (suffix forming nouns denoting things considered collectively)). Smitch is possibly: * derived from smitch (“smoke from a burning or smouldering thing; spot of dirt; blemish; dirt, grime”), a variant of smeech (“(southwest England) (dense or pungent) smoke; airborne dust”), from Middle English smeche, smek, smiche (“smoke from a burning or smouldering thing; cloud of smoke; fumes, vapour; smell”), from Old English smēc, smīc (“smoke; steam; vapour”), from Proto-West Germanic *smauki (“smoke”), related to Proto-Germanic *smeukaną (“to fume, smoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *smewgʰ- (“smoke”); or * borrowed from Scots smitch (“smudge, stain; blemish; very small amount, speck, trace; small insignificant person”), possibly a variant of English smutch (“dirty mark, smudge, stain; dirt, grime; slight indication”) (probably related to smudge, ultimate etymology unknown) and influenced by English smit (“(UK, dialectal) a stain”).