Where does “heel” come from?

heel (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch hêel, from Old Dutch hēl, from Proto-West Germanic hail, from Proto-Germanic hailaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos — healthy.

heel (Dutch): complete, full, whole; unbroken, undamaged,...

Definitions

  1. complete, full, whole; unbroken, undamaged,...

Ancestry of “heel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchhêelwhole, full
2Old Dutchhēlhealthy, wholesome
3Proto-West Germanichailhealthy, sound; whole; omen, portent
4Proto-Germanichailazwhole, unbroken, intact; entire, complete; hale,...
5Proto-Indo-European*kéh₂iloshealthy

Words derived from “heel”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ilos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hailaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hail →