Etymograph

English

assinico

Assinico comes from Spanish asnico ‘diminutive of asno’, and goes back to Latin asinus ‘donkey, ass’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEasinus1‘donkey, ass’
  2. Old Spanishc. 950–1500asno2
  3. Spanishc. 1500–presentasno2
  4. Spanishc. 1500–presentasnico1‘diminutive of asno’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1602assinico1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English assinico
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Spanish asnico
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1602, William Shakespeare: “Thou hast no more brain than I have in…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEasinusWiktionary, English assinico‘donkey, ass’
  2. Old Spanishc. 950–1500asnoWiktionary, Spanish asnico
  3. Spanishc. 1500–presentasnoWiktionary, Spanish asnico
  4. Spanishc. 1500–presentasnicoWiktionary, English assinico‘diminutive of asno’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1602assinicoWiktionary, English assinico. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1602, William Shakespeare: “Thou hast no more brain than I have in…”

Linked words

through Latin asinus ‘donkey, ass’

ass, easel, asinine

Today it means

noun A stupid fellow, an ass.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “assinico”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Spanish asnico. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin asinus / assinico

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