Etymograph

English

doughty

Doughty comes from Middle English doughty ‘brave, bold, valiant’, from Proto-West Germanic *duhtīg ‘strong, virtuous, proficient’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewgʰ- ‘to produce’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewgʰ-‘to produce’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰedʰówgʰe‘to be productive’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*duganą‘to be useful, to avail’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*dugan‘to avail, serve’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*duhti‘usefulness, fitness, strength’reconstructed
  6. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*duhtīg‘strong, virtuous, proficient’reconstructed
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150dohtiġ‘competent, good, strong, valiant’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500doughty‘brave, bold, valiant’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1937same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewgʰ-‘to produce’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰedʰówgʰe‘to be productive’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*duganą‘to be useful, to avail’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*dugan‘to avail, serve’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*duhti‘usefulness, fitness, strength’reconstructed
  6. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*duhtīg‘strong, virtuous, proficient’reconstructed
  7. Old Englishc. 450–1150dohtiġ‘competent, good, strong, valiant’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500doughty‘brave, bold, valiant’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1937same form

Earliest quotation: 1937, Edward Mellor Jameson: “Aye, here's a ship of doughty build and strong:…”

Formed from dought + -y

The story

The adjective is derived from Middle English doughty (‘brave, bold, valiant’), from Old English dohtiġ, dyhtiġ (‘competent, good, strong, valiant’), from Proto-West Germanic *duhtīg. The English word may be analysed as dought + -y, and is cognate with Scots douchty, douchtie (‘bold, valiant’), Dutch duchtig (‘severe, strict’), German tüchtig (‘capable, competent, efficient; big; hard’), Danish dygtig (‘virtuous, proficient’), Swedish duktig (‘efficient; good; capable, clever, smart’), Icelandic dygðugur (‘virtuous, stable’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰewgʰ- ‘to produce’

daughter, dock, 12 more

through Proto-West Germanic *dugan ‘to avail, serve’

dow, 2 more

Today it means

adj Bold; brave, courageous.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰewgʰ- / doughty

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