English
nail
Nail comes from Middle English nail, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃nogʰ-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*naglazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*naglreconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nail
- Englishearliest quotation 1879same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃nogʰ-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*naglazreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*naglreconstructed
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nail
- Englishearliest quotation 1879same form
Earliest quotation: 1879, Richard Jefferies, London: Smith: “Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded…”
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ-
Another origin of nail
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃nṓgʰsreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*naglazreconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*naglijaną‘to nail’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*naglijanreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150næġlan‘to nail’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500naylen‘to nail’
- Englishtodaynail
Today it means
noun The horny plate or appendage at the ends of the digits of various animals, including most reptiles, birds, and mammals (both nonhuman and human).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃nogʰ- / nail