Where does “Willow” come from?
Willow comes from Old English weliġ, from Proto-West Germanic wilig, from Proto-Germanic wiligaz, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root wel-.
Ancestry of “Willow”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wilwe | willow |
| 2 | Old English | weliġ | well-to-do, prosperous, rich; willow |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | wilig | willow |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wiligaz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | weliḱ- | willow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wēl- | — |