teat (English)
Where does "teat" come from?
The English noun 'teat' comes from Middle English 'tete', which was borrowed from Old French 'tete'[1]. This Old French term traces back to Frankish '*tittā', originating from Proto-Germanic '*tittaz' meaning 'teat; nipple; breast', and is ultimately of expressive origin[1]. It heavily displaced the native Old English 'titt', a cognate of the same origin that survives today as the doublet 'tit'[1].
Open questions
- The ultimate origin of the root is noted as expressive. [1]
Full etymology tree
- teat (English), 'The projection of a mammary gland from which, on female therian mammals, milk is secreted.'
- inherited tete (Middle English)
- borrowed tete (Old French)
- borrowed *tittā (Frankish)
- inherited *tittaz (Proto-Germanic)
- borrowed *tittā (Frankish)
- borrowed tete (Old French)
- inherited tete (Middle English)
Cognates and doublets
- tiet (Dutch)
- tit (English)
- tette (French)
- Zitze (German)
- zizza (Italian)
- titt (Old English)
Descendants and derived words
- cold as a witch's teat (English)
- glass teat (English)
- hind teat (English)
- mare's teat (English)
- mare's teat grape (English)
- witch's teat (English)
Sources
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris