Where does “freewheel” come from?
freewheel (English) comes from English wheel, from Middle English whel, from Old English hwēol, from Proto-Germanic hweulō, from Proto-Indo-European kʷékʷléh₂, from Proto-Indo-European kʷékʷlos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- — to turn.
freewheel (English): a device in a transmission that disengages the...
Definitions
- a device in a transmission that disengages the...
Ancestry of “freewheel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | wheel | A circular device capable of rotating on its... |
| 2 | Middle English | whel | — |
| 3 | Old English | hwēol | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hweulō | nominative/vocative/accusative plural of *hwehwlą |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷékʷléh₂ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷékʷlos | wheel; circle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |
Words derived from “freewheel”