English
townish
Townish comes from Middle English townishe.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500townishe
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1527–1542townish
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500townishe
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1527–1542townish
Earliest quotation: c. 1527–1542, Thomas Wyatt, My mothers maydes when they did ſowe & ſpyñ: “My mothers maydes when they did ſowe & ſpyñ…”
Formed from town + -ish
Proto-Celtic *dūnom ‘stronghold, rampart’
Proto-Germanic *tūną ‘fence, enclosure’
Proto-West Germanic *tūn ‘fence’
Old English tūn ‘an enclosed piece of ground’
Middle English toun ‘a town or city’
English town
Every English word from Middle English townishe
Today it means
adj Characteristic of a (certain type of) town.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English townishe / townish