English
wale
Wale comes from Middle English wāle ‘planking, welt’, from Old English walu ‘ridge, bank’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to turn, wind, roll’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-‘to turn, wind, roll’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*waluz‘stick, root’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*walureconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150walu‘ridge, bank’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wāle‘planking, welt’
- Englishearliest quotation 1597wale
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-‘to turn, wind, roll’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*waluz‘stick, root’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*walureconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150walu‘ridge, bank’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wāle‘planking, welt’
- Englishearliest quotation 1597wale
Earliest quotation: 1597, Joseph Hall, (please specify the page): “Shall then that foule infamous Cyneds hide Laugh at…”
The story
The noun is from Middle English wāle (‘planking, welt’), from Old English walu (‘ridge, bank; rib, comb (of helmet); metal ridge on top of helmet; weal, mark of a blow’), from Proto-Germanic *waluz (‘stick, root’), from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (‘to turn, wind, roll’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to turn, wind, roll’
well, volume, revolution, evolution, involve, walk, wall, vault, evolve, valve, revolt, vulgar, helix, convoluted, divulge, voluminous, vagrant, vulva, waltz, gauche, convolution, vulgate, iliac, ilium, involution, valvular, voluble, valise, 76 more
Another origin of wale
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welh₁-‘to choose, want’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*walą‘choice, selection’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350val‘choice’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wale‘a selection or possibility’
- Englishtodaysame form
Today it means
noun A ridge or low barrier.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *welH- / wale