Where does “all” come from?
All comes from Middle English all, from Old English eall, from Proto-West Germanic all, from Proto-Germanic allaz, from Proto-Indo-European al-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂el- meaning to grow or nourish.
all (English): Every individual or anything of the given class,...
Definitions
- Every individual or anything of the given class,...
Ancestry of “all”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | all | all; all, every |
| 2 | Old English | eall | all; whole, entire; everything |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | all | all |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | allaz | all |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | — |