Etymograph

English

Wile

Wile comes from Middle English wile ‘wile, trick, artifice’, from Proto-Germanic *wīlą ‘craft, deceit’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wey- ‘to turn, bend’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wey-‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīlą‘craft, deceit’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150wīl‘wile, trick’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wile‘wile, trick, artifice’
  5. EnglishtodayWile

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wey-‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wīlą‘craft, deceit’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150wīl‘wile, trick’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wile‘wile, trick, artifice’
  5. EnglishtodayWile

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wey- ‘to turn, bend’

weld, wattle, withe, 4 more

through Proto-Germanic *wīlą ‘craft, deceit’

guile, 1 more

Today it means

name A surname transferred from the nickname.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wey- / Wile

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