Where does “bolt-hole” come from?
bolt-hole (English) comes from English bolt, from Middle English bolt, from Old English bolt, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum — smoke; mist, haze.
bolt-hole (English): a means of escape; a place of escape or secret...
Definitions
- a means of escape; a place of escape or secret...
Ancestry of “bolt-hole”, step by step
bolt-hole traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bolt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bolt | A metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical... |
| 2 | Middle English | bolt | — |
| 3 | Old English | bolt | bolt |
| 4 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 5 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 8 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 9 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
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 |