Etymograph

English

kink

Kink comes from Old English *cincian ‘to laugh loudly’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *gang- ‘to mock, jeer, deride’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gang-‘to mock, jeer, deride’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kinkōną‘to laugh’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kinkōnreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150*cincian‘to laugh loudly’reconstructed
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500kinken
  6. Englishtodaykink

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gang-‘to mock, jeer, deride’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kinkōną‘to laugh’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kinkōnreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150*cincian‘to laugh loudly’reconstructed
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500kinken
  6. Englishtodaykink

The story

From Middle English kinken, kynken, from Old English *cincian (attested in cincung), from Proto-West Germanic *kinkōn, from Proto-Germanic *kinkōną (‘to laugh’), from Proto-Indo-European *gang- (‘to mock, jeer, deride’), related to Old English canc (‘jeering, scorn, derision’).

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *gang-

Another origin of kink

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gengʰ-‘to turn, wind, braid, weave’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kenk-reconstructed
  3. Dutchc. 1500–presentkink‘a twist or curl in a rope’
  4. Englishtodaysame form

Probably related to kick.

Today it means

verb To laugh loudly.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gang- / kink

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