English
coil
Coil comes from Old French coillir ‘to gather, pluck, pick, cull’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō‘to gather’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolligō‘to gather together’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400coillir‘to gather, pluck, pick, cull’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500coilen‘to gather, collect, or pick’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1722coil
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leǵ-‘to gather’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*léǵetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*legōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElegō‘to gather’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcolligō‘to gather together’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400coillir‘to gather, pluck, pick, cull’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500coilen‘to gather, collect, or pick’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1722coil
Earliest quotation: a. 1722, Matthew Prior, Human Life: “What trifling coil do we mortals keep; Wake, eat,…”
The story
From Middle English coilen, from Old French coillir, cuillir (‘to gather, pluck, pick, cull’) (modern French cueillir), from Latin colligō (‘to gather together’), past participle collectus, from com- (‘together’) + legō (‘to gather’); compare legend.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- ‘to gather’
technology, logic, collect, apology, catalogue, sociology, analogy, terminology, physiology, trilogy, pathology, logos, astrology, monologue, leach, prologue, pathologist, archaeologist, logistic, eulogy, lexical, etymology, epilogue, epistemology, lexicon, entomology, homologous, cosmology, dialectic, etiology, gynecologist, alexia, lignite, lexis, lignin, apologia, bacteriology, syllogism, bacteriologist, 152 more
through Proto-Italic *legō
intelligence, selection, intellectual, intelligent, ineligible, elector, legionella, legionnaire, legionary, 17 more
through Latin legō ‘to gather’
election, college, lesson, select, legend, elite, legacy, eligible, lecture, elect, elegant, delegation, legion, colleague, delegate, negligence, negligible, negligent, collegiate, diligent, legible, legation, legate, lectern, lector, collegium, ineligibility, 25 more
through Latin colligō ‘to gather together’
Today it means
noun Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- / coil