Where does “armhole” come from?
Armhole comes from Middle English, combining arm with hole from Old English hol, itself from Old English helan meaning to conceal.
armhole (English): A human armpit; Similar structures in other...
Definitions
- A human armpit; Similar structures in other...
Ancestry of “armhole”, step by step
armhole traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hole | A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit;... |
| 2 | Middle English | hole | healthy; safe; whole, complete, full |
| 3 | Old English | hol | a hole, a hollow; calumny; slander |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hol | hollow; hole |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hulą | a hollow; depression; hole |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hulaz | hollow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |
via English Arm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Arm | Abbreviation of Armenian |
| 2 | Middle English | arm | arm; poor; miserable, wretched |
| 3 | Old English | earm | arm; poor, miserable |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | arm | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | armaz | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ermos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |