Where does “envelop” come from?
Envelop comes from Middle English envolupen, from Old French envoluper, combining the prefix en- with Old French voluper, ultimately derived through Latin in- and Latin in from Proto-Indo-European h₁én meaning "in."
envelop (English): To surround or enclose
Definitions
- To surround or enclose
Ancestry of “envelop”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | envolupen | — |
| 2 | Old French | anveloper | to wrap around, enfold, cover |
| 3 | Old French | voloper | — |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | vuloppare | to wrap |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wlappaną | to wrap, roll up, turn, wind |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | werb- | to throw, twist, bend; to turn, bend, twist; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |