English

kick start

From kick + start.

A compound of kick + start

Proto-Germanic *kaikaz ‘bent backwards’

Old Norse kikna ‘to sink at the knees’

Middle English kyken ‘to strike out with the foot’

English kick

Proto-West Germanic *sturtijan ‘to fall down, tumble’

Old English styrtan ‘to leap up, start’

Middle English sterten ‘to leap up suddenly, rush out’

English start

Today it means

noun A metal bar on a motorcycle used to start its engine.

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

Etymograph / kick start