English
eddy
Eddy comes from Old English ēa ‘water’, from Proto-West Germanic *ahu ‘river’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ ‘water’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ékʷeh₂‘water’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ahwō‘stream, river’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ahu‘river’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ēa‘water’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150edēa
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eddy
- Englishearliest quotation 1667same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ékʷeh₂‘water’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*ahwō‘stream, river’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*ahu‘river’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ēa‘water’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150edēa
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eddy
- Englishearliest quotation 1667same form
Earliest quotation: 1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders: “And smiling eddies dimpled on the main.”
Proto-Indo-European *éti ‘beyond’
Proto-Germanic *idi- ‘again, anew’
Proto-West Germanic *id-
English ed-
The story
Related also to Danish ide (‘eddy’), Swedish eda (‘eddy’), Norwegian ida, ia, ea (‘eddy’), Icelandic iða (‘eddy’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ ‘water’
aquatic, aquarium, aqua, ey, aqueous, gouache, 5 more
through Proto-Germanic *ahwō ‘stream, river’
through Old English ēa ‘water’
Today it means
noun A current of air or water running back, or in an opposite direction to the main current.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ / eddy