English
a closed mouth gathers no feet
A closed mouth gathers no feet comes from English mouth ‘to say something embarrassing or wrong, or to…’.
- English1500–presentmouth‘to say something embarrassing or wrong, or to make a mistake in public’
- Englishearliest quotation 1958a closed mouth gathers no feet
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- English1500–presentmouth‘to say something embarrassing or wrong, or to make a mistake in public’
- Englishearliest quotation 1958a closed mouth gathers no feet
Earliest quotation: 1958, Wall Signs Dept.: “From the wall of a New York bar: "A…”
Made of the words a + closed + mouth + gathers + no + feet
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos ‘one’
Proto-Germanic *ainaz ‘one’
Proto-West Germanic *ain ‘one’
Old English ān ‘one; a certain’
Middle English a
English a
Proto-Germanic *munþaz ‘mouth’
Proto-West Germanic *munþ ‘mouth’
Old English mūþ ‘mouth; opening’
Middle English mouth
English mouth
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos ‘one’
…
Proto-West Germanic *nain
Old English nān ‘none, not any’
Middle English noon ‘no, not any’
Middle English no
English no
Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to walk, to step’
…
Proto-Indo-European *pódes
Proto-Germanic *fōtiz
Old English fēt
Middle English feet
English feet
Every English word from English mouth
Today it means
proverb One who does not speak can be sure of not saying anything embarrassing.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English mouth / a closed mouth gathers no feet