Where does “coalfield” come from?
Coalfield derives from English coal and English field, where coal comes from Middle English cole, Old English cawel, and Latin caulis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pelh₂-.
coalfield (English): Any region containing deposits of coal that may...
Definitions
- Any region containing deposits of coal that may...
Ancestry of “coalfield”, step by step
coalfield traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English field
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | field | A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns;... |
| 2 | Middle English | feeld | A field; The countryside; empty land that... |
| 3 | Old English | feld | field |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | felþu | field |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | felþuz | field, plain |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pelh₂- | to approach |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
via English coal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | coal | A black rock formed from prehistoric plant... |
| 2 | Middle English | col | cole; coal |
| 3 | Old English | cōl | cool, cold, tranquil, calm |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | kōl(ī) | cool |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kōluz | cool |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kalaną | to be cold, to freeze |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |