English
halt
Halt comes from Middle English halten ‘to limp’, from Proto-West Germanic *halt ‘lame’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂-d-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₂-d-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*haltaz‘lame, halt’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*halt‘lame’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*haltōn‘to limp, walk lamely’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150healtian‘to be lame, walk with a limp’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500halten‘to limp’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1601–1602halt
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kelh₂-d-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*haltaz‘lame, halt’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*halt‘lame’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*haltōn‘to limp, walk lamely’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150healtian‘to be lame, walk with a limp’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500halten‘to limp’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1601–1602halt
Earliest quotation: c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfe Night, or What You Will: “Here comes Sir Toby halting — you shall hear…”
The story
English usage in the sense of 'make a halt' is from the noun.
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂-d-
Today it means
verb To limp; move with a limping gait.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂-d- / halt