*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nesh

From Middle English nesh, nesch, nesche, from Old English hnesċe, hnysċe, næsċe (“soft, tender, mild; weak, delicate; slack, negligent; effeminate, wanton”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnaskwī, from Proto-Germanic *hnasku

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

Soft; tender; sensitive; yielding. · Delicate; weak; poor-spirited; susceptible to cold weather, harsh conditions etc. · Soft; friable; crumbly.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English nesh, nesch, nesche, from Old English hnesċe, hnysċe, næsċe (“soft, tender, mild; weak, delicate; slack, negligent; effeminate, wanton”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnaskwī, from Proto-Germanic *hnaskuz (“soft, tender”), from Proto-Indo-European *knēs-, *kenes- (“to scratch, scrape, rub”). Cognate with Scots nesch, nesh (“soft, tender, yielding easily to pressure, sensitive”), Dutch nesch, nes (“wet, moist”), Gothic 𐌷𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌵𐌿𐍃 (hnasqus, “soft, tender, delicate”). Compare also nask, nasky, nasty.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "nesh"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English nesh"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hnesċe"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hnesċe"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hnaskwī"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hnaskwī"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hnaskuz",
        "t": "soft, tender"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hnaskuz (“soft, tender”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*knēs-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *knēs-"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "nesch"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots nesch"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "nesch"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch nesch"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "got",
        "2": "𐌷𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌵𐌿𐍃",
        "3": "",
        "4": "soft, tender, delicate"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic 𐌷𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌵𐌿𐍃 (hnasqus, “soft, tender, delicate”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nesh",
      "nesh#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "nesch",
      "nesch#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "nesche",
      "nesche#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hnesċe",
      "hnesce#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hnysċe",
      "hnysce#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "næsċe",
      "næsce#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hnaskwī",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hnaskwī"
    ],
    [
      "*hnaskuz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hnaskuz"
    ],
    [
      "*knēs-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/knēs-"
    ],
    [
      "*kenes-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/kenes-"
    ],
    [
      "nesch",
      "nesch#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "nesh",
      "nesh#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "nesch",
      "nesch#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "nes",
      "nes#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "𐌷𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌵𐌿𐍃",
      "𐌷𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌵𐌿𐍃#Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "nask",
      "nask#English"
    ],
    [
      "nasky",
      "nasky#English"
    ],
    [
      "nasty",
      "nasty#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Soft; tender; sensitive; yielding.",
        "Delicate; weak; poor-spirited; susceptible to cold weather, harsh conditions etc.",
        "Soft; friable; crumbly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "9a1e42317e78da3b2e9292721fb0f0b21992952b21e3486189599c01f6676445",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8f05f118e8d42e64d44e8ce888eea683631321faefc17d87cb0be75dcb66108a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 244521
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To make soft, tender, or weak. · To act timidly.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English neschen, from Old English hnesċan, hnesċian (“to make soft, soften; become soft, give way, waver”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnaskwōn (“to make soft”), from Proto-Indo-European *knēs-, *kenes- (“to scratch, scrape, rub”). Cognate with Old High German nascōn ("to nibble at, parasitise, squander"; > German naschen (“to nibble, pinch”)). Doublet of nosh.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "neschen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English neschen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hnesċan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hnesċan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hnaskwōn",
        "t": "to make soft"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hnaskwōn (“to make soft”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*knēs-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *knēs-"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "nascōn"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German nascōn"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "naschen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to nibble, pinch"
      },
      "expansion": "German naschen (“to nibble, pinch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "gloss",
      "args": {
        "1": "\"to nibble at, parasitise, squander\"; > German <i class=\"Latn mention\" lang=\"de\">naschen</i> (“to nibble, pinch”)"
      },
      "expansion": "(\"to nibble at, parasitise, squander\"; > German naschen (“to nibble, pinch”))"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nosh"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of nosh"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "neschen",
      "neschen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hnesċan",
      "hnescan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hnesċian",
      "hnescian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hnaskwōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hnaskwōn"
    ],
    [
      "*knēs-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/knēs-"
    ],
    [
      "*kenes-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/kenes-"
    ],
    [
      "nascōn",
      "nascon#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "German",
      "w:German language"
    ],
    [
      "naschen",
      "naschen#German"
    ],
    [
      "nosh",
      "nosh#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make soft, tender, or weak.",
        "To act timidly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "Northern-England",
        "dialectal",
        "intransitive"
      ],
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for nesh →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bmVzaA