English
tit
Tit comes from Proto-Germanic *tittaz ‘teat’.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tittaz‘teat’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tittreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tit
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1980same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tittaz‘teat’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tittreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tit
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1980same form
Earliest quotation: 1980, Andrea Loewenstein, Random Lust: “A large bowl of suckulent ^([sic]) raspberries with clotted…”
The story
Perhaps related to an original meaning “to suck”; compare Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-y-.
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *tittaz ‘teat’
Today it means
noun A person's breast or nipple.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *tittaz / tit