English
walking
Walking comes from Old English wealcende, from Proto-Germanic *walkaną ‘to roll; to walk’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to roll’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-‘to roll, undulate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*welk-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*walkaną‘to turn, roll; to walk, wander’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*walkandzreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wealcende
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500walkynge
- Englishtodaywalking
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-‘to roll, undulate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*welk-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*walkaną‘to turn, roll; to walk, wander’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*walkandzreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wealcende
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500walkynge
- Englishtodaywalking
Formed from walk + -ing
Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to roll’
Proto-Germanic *walkaną ‘to roll, toss, turn; to walk’
Proto-West Germanic *walkan
Old English wealcan ‘to move around, roll’
Middle English walken ‘to roll, toss; to walk’
English walk
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *welH-
Another origin of walking
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*welH-‘to turn, to wind, roll’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*welk-reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*walkaną‘to turn, wind, roll, toss’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*walkan‘to roll (of waves)’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wealcanas wealcende‘to roll, roll around, be rolling’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500walkynge
- Englishtodaywalking
From Middle English walkynge, walkinge, walkinde, walkende, walkand, walkande, from Old English wealcende (attested as Old English wealcendes), from Proto-Germanic *walkandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *walkaną (‘to roll, trample, walk’), equivalent to walk + -ing.
Another origin of walking
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500walkyng
- Englishtodaywalking
Today it means
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Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *welH- / walking