Where does “call” come from?
Call comes from Middle English callen, from Old English ceallian, from Proto-Germanic kalzōną, from Proto-Indo-European gels-, potentially related to gols- and gels-.
call (English): A telephone conversation; a phone call; An...
Definitions
- A telephone conversation; a phone call; An...
Ancestry of “call”, step by step
call traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English callen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | callen | to call |
| 2 | Old English | ceallian | to call; to cry out, shout |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *kalʀōn | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kalzōną | to call, shout |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kalzaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gols- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gels- | voice, cry; to call; voice, cry; to call |