English

hair-splittery

From hair + split + -ery.

Formed from hair + split + -ery

Proto-Germanic *hērą

Proto-West Germanic *hār

Old English hǣr

Middle English her ‘a hair’

English hair

Proto-Indo-European *(s)pley- ‘to split, splice’

Proto-Germanic *splītaną

Proto-West Germanic *splītan ‘to split’

Proto-West Germanic *splittjan

Middle Dutch splitten ‘to split’

English split

Today it means

noun Synonym of hair-splitting.

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

Etymograph / hair-splittery