teat (English)
Where does "teat" come from?
The word 'teat' originates from the Proto-Germanic term *tittaz, which was a naturally expressive sound used for nipples or breasts. While the word was already present in Old English as 'titt', the form we use today arrived via Old French 'tete' and Middle English 'tete'. Interestingly, the original Old English word survived as 'tit', creating a linguistic doublet where the imported version became the standard, while the native version shifted into more vulgar usage.
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)
- inherited *tittā or *tittō (Frankish)
- inherited *tittaz (Proto-Germanic)
- inherited *tittā or *tittō (Frankish)
- borrowed tete (Old French)
- inherited tete (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
- tette (French)
- Zitze (German)
- zizza (Italian)
- titt (Old English)
- tit (English)
- tiet (Dutch)
- Zitze (German)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris