Etymograph

English

wool

Wool comes from Middle English wolle ‘wool, especially when used to make fabric’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- ‘hair’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂welh₁-‘hair’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wullōreconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wullureconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150wull
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wolle‘wool, especially when used to make fabric’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1606wool

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂welh₁-‘hair’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wullōreconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wullureconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150wull
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wolle‘wool, especially when used to make fabric’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1606wool

Earliest quotation: c. 1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Macbeth: “wool of bat and tongue of dog”.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- ‘hair’

value, wild, equivalent, valid, velvet, valuation, vale, avail, valiant, wield, fluff, vail, valour, cuckold, velour, valorous, lanolin, 44 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂

flannel, 13 more

through Proto-Germanic *wullō

woll, 4 more

Today it means

noun The hair of the sheep, llama and some other ruminants.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- / wool

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