Etymograph

English

awl

Awl comes from Old English æl ‘awl, hook, fork’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₁ólos.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ólosreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*alazreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*alreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150æl‘awl, hook, fork’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500aul
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1886awl

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ólosreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*alazreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*alreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150æl‘awl, hook, fork’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500aul
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1886awl

Earliest quotation: 1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, Folk and Fairy Tales: “He dressed himself in some old ragged clothes, and…”

The story

Spelling was influenced by the Old English synonym awel, awul (‘awl’), from Proto-West Germanic *ahwal, from Proto-Germanic *ahwalaz (‘fork, hook’), of unknown origin.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Linked words

through Old English æl ‘awl, hook, fork’

eel

Today it means

noun A pointed instrument for piercing small holes, as in leather or wood; used by shoemakers, saddlers, cabinetmakers, etc. The blade is differently shaped and pointed for different uses, as in the brad awl, saddler's awl, shoemaker's awl, etc.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁ólos / awl

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