Where does “empty” come from?

Empty derives from Middle English emty, from Old English ēmtiġ, from Proto-Germanic uz-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European úd and uds-.

empty (English): Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody;...

Definitions

  1. Devoid of content; containing nothing or nobody;...

Ancestry of “empty”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishemtyempty, vacant; weak, ineffective; worthless,...
2Old Englishēmtiġ
3Old Englishǣmettiġvacant, empty, free, idle, unmarried
4Proto-Germanicuz-up, out
5Proto-Indo-Europeanuss-
6Proto-Indo-Europeanuds-up, out
7Proto-Indo-Europeanúdout, outward

Words derived from “empty

Every word from Proto-Indo-European úd