Etymograph

English

innuendo

Innuendo comes from Latin innuendō ‘by nodding’, from innuō ‘to give a nod’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *new-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*new-1‘to nod’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nowō1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*nuō2‘to nod’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinnuō3‘to give a nod’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinnuendum3‘a nodding’gerund of innuō
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinnuendō3‘by nodding’ablative singular form of innuendum
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1831innuendo3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin nuo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin innuo
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English innuendo
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1831, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley: “At dinner, a dish of stewed eels made Mr.…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*new-Wiktionary, Latin nuo‘to nod’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nowōWiktionary, Latin nuoreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*nuōWiktionary, Latin innuo‘to nod’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinnuōWiktionary, English innuendo‘to give a nod’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinnuendumWiktionary, English innuendo‘a nodding’gerund of innuō
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinnuendōWiktionary, English innuendo‘by nodding’ablative singular form of innuendum
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1831innuendoWiktionary, English innuendo. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1831, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley: “At dinner, a dish of stewed eels made Mr.…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *new- ‘to nod’

need, novel, renew, novice, nouveau, renovate, 12 more

through Latin *nuō ‘to nod’

numinous, 4 more

Today it means

noun A derogatory hint or reference to, or (often sexual) insinuation about, a person or thing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “innuendo”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin nuo, Latin innuo. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *new- / innuendo

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