Etymograph

English

wheel

Wheel comes from Old English hwēol, from Proto-Germanic *hweulō, plural of *hwehwlą, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos ‘wheel’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷékʷlos‘wheel’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hwehwlą‘wheel’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hweulō‘wheels (plural of *hwehwlą)’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150hwēol‘wheel’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500whel‘wheel’
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604wheel

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷékʷlos‘wheel’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hwehwlą‘wheel’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hweulō‘wheels (plural of *hwehwlą)’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150hwēol‘wheel’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500whel‘wheel’
  6. Englishearliest quotation c. 1603–1604wheel

Earliest quotation: c. 1603–1604, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice: “Your daughter, if you have not given her leave,…”

Linked words

pairs

  • wheel and chakra both from Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos ‘wheel’

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos

cycle, cyclic, kike, cyclamen, 15 more

Today it means

noun A circular device capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation or performing labour in machines.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos / wheel

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