English
ankle
Ankle comes from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng- ‘joint’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eng-‘joint’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ankulazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ankulreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ancol
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ankel
- Englishearliest quotation 1948ankle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eng-‘joint’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ankulazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ankulreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ancol
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ankel
- Englishearliest quotation 1948ankle
Earliest quotation: 1948, Zora Neale Hurston, New York: HarperPerennial: “Arvay’s tearful speech followed the usual pattern, and everybody…”
The story
From Middle English ankel, ancle, ankyll, from Old English ancol (compare anclēow (‘ankle’) > Modern English anclef, ancliff, ancley), from Proto-West Germanic *ankul, from Proto-Germanic *ankulaz (‘ankle’); akin to Icelandic ökkla, ökli, Danish and Swedish ankel, Dutch enkel, enklaauw, German Enkel, Old Norse akka, Old Frisian anckel, and perhaps Old High German encha, ancha (‘thigh, shin’), from the Proto-Germanic *ankijǭ (‘ankle, joint’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng- ‘joint’
Today it means
noun The skeletal joint which connects the foot with the leg; the uppermost portion of the foot and lowermost portion of the leg, which contain this skeletal joint.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng- / ankle