Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “allspice” come from?

Allspice derives from English all and spice, with all tracing to Middle English all, Old English eall, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European h₂el-, while spice follows a separate etymological path.

allspice (English): A spice; the dried and ground unripe fruit of...

Definitions

  1. A spice; the dried and ground unripe fruit of...

Ancestry of “allspice”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishallEvery individual or anything of the given class,...
2Middle Englishallall; all, every
3Old Englisheallall; whole, entire; everything
4Proto-West Germanicallall
5Proto-Germanicallazall
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- →