English
tidbit
Tidbit comes from Old English tid ‘fond, tender, nice’, from Proto-West Germanic *tīdi ‘time’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *déh₂itis.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déh₂itis‘interval, period of time’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tīdiz‘time’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tīdi‘time’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tid‘fond, tender, nice’
- English1500–presentbit
- Englishearliest quotation 1846tidbit
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*déh₂itis‘interval, period of time’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tīdiz‘time’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tīdi‘time’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tid‘fond, tender, nice’
- English1500–presentbit
- Englishearliest quotation 1846tidbit
Earliest quotation: 1846, French Domestic Cookery: “The best mode of cutting up this Poultry is…”
A compound of *deh₂- ‘to share, divide’ + *deh₂y- ‘to share, divide’
Proto-Indo-European *deh₂- ‘to share, divide’
Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- ‘to share, divide’
Linked words
through Proto-West Germanic *tīdi ‘time’
through Old English tid ‘fond, tender, nice’
Today it means
noun A part of poultry when prepared as food
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *déh₂itis / tidbit