Where does “cowl” come from?
Cowl comes from Middle English coule, from Old English cūle, from Old French cuve, from Latin cupa, from Latin cucullus, from Proto-Indo-European keu- and keh₂p-.
cowl (English): A monk's hood that can be pulled forward to cover...
Definitions
- A monk's hood that can be pulled forward to cover...
Ancestry of “cowl”, step by step
cowl traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English coule
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | coule | A cowl; a monk's hooded cloak |
| 2 | Old English | cūle | — |
| 3 | Old English | cugele | hood, cowl |
| 4 | Ecclesiastical Latin | cuculla | monk's cowl |
| 5 | Latin | cucullus | a covering for the head, hood, cowl; a conical... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kuH-l- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewH- | to cover, bedeck; cover |
via Ulster Scots coul
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ulster Scots | coul | — |
| 2 | Middle English | cold | cold, cool; having a tendency to be cold;... |
| 3 | Old English | cald | Alternative form of ċeald |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *kald | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kaldaz | cold |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kalaną | to be cold, to freeze |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵel- | to swallow; swallow |
via Irish cabhail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irish | cabhail | body |