English
edge
Edge comes from Middle English egge ‘an edge of a blade or instrument’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*agjō‘edge’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*aggju‘edge’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150eċġ
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500egge‘an edge of a blade or instrument’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596edge
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-‘sharp’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*agjō‘edge’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*aggju‘edge’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150eċġ
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500egge‘an edge of a blade or instrument’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596edge
Earliest quotation: c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, Loues Labour’s Lost: “Here by, upon the edge of yonder coppice; /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, acid, ear, hammer, acute, axe, eager, acne, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acetate, paragon, acupuncture, acacia, exacerbate, mediocrity, acumen, acme, acuity, hark, acyl, acrid, rosacea, acrimony, acerbic, exacerbation, roselle, 72 more
through Proto-Germanic *agjō ‘edge, corner’
Today it means
noun The boundary line of a surface.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- / edge