Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “entail” come from?

Entail comes from Middle English entaillen, from Old French entaille and Old French entailler.

entail (English): To imply or require; To settle or fix inalienably...

Definitions

  1. To imply or require; To settle or fix inalienably...

Ancestry of “entail”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishentaillen—
2Old Frenchentaillier—
3Old Frenchtaillerto cut
4Latintaliāre—
5LatintaleaA long or slender piece of wood or metal; rod,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanteh₂l-to grow; young animal

Words derived from “entail”

  • entailment
  • disentail
  • entaileth
  • entailest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European teh₂l- →