English
agnail
Agnail comes from Old English angnægl ‘hangnail’, from Proto-Germanic *naglaz ‘nail’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃nogʰ-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*naglaz‘nail’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150angnægl‘hangnail’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500agnail
- Englishearliest quotation 1866same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃nogʰ-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*naglaz‘nail’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150angnægl‘hangnail’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500agnail
- Englishearliest quotation 1866same form
Earliest quotation: 1866, Eliza Lynn Linton, Margaret and Ainslie: “[…] Corrie bit another atom from off the corner…”
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ-
Today it means
noun Torn skin near a toenail or fingernail.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ- / agnail