Where does “Nowell” come from?
Nowell comes from Middle English Nowel, from Middle French noel, from Middle French nael, from Latin -alis and Latin nascor, meaning to be born, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁-.
Ancestry of “Nowell”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | nowel | Alternative form of Nowel |
| 2 | Middle French | Noël | Christmas |
| 3 | Old French | noel | Christmas |
| 4 | Latin | nātālis | natal (of one's birth) |
| 5 | Latin | nātus | born, arisen, made |
| 6 | Latin | gnātus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | gnātos | born |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵn̥h₁tós | begotten, produced |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |