Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “calling” come from?

Calling derives from Middle English -ing and Old English -ing, tracing back through Proto-Indo-European gels- and gols- to the root gels-.

calling (English): present participle of call; A strong urge to...

Definitions

  1. present participle of call; A strong urge to...

Ancestry of “calling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
2Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
3Old English-tūn—
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “calling”

  • playcalling
  • callingly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →