English
tick
Tick comes from Old English ticia ‘parasitic animal, tick’, and goes back to Proto-West Germanic *tīkō.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tīkōreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ticia‘parasitic animal, tick’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tyke
- Englishearliest quotation 2001tick
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tīkōreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ticia‘parasitic animal, tick’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tyke
- Englishearliest quotation 2001tick
Earliest quotation: 2001, Ticks & Leeches: “Sucking up all you can / Sucking up all…”
Every English word from Proto-West Germanic *tīkō
Another origin of tick
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*tikreconstructed
- Englishtodaytick
Another origin of tick
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deyǵʰ-‘to tickle, tingle’uncertain
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tikkōn‘to touch, tap’uncertain
- Old Englishc. 450–1150*ticcian‘to touch, tap’uncertain
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ticken
- Englishtodaytick
Another origin of tick
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to put, place’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰé-dʰeh₁-tiuncertain
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*t(e/i)tʰēmiuncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτίθημιtíthēmi‘put, set, place’uncertain
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEθήκη‘a case, box, receptacle’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtheca‘cover’uncertain
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500tikeuncertain
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tike
- Englishtodaytick
Today it means
noun A tiny woodland arachnid of the suborder Ixodida.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *tīkō / tick