Where does “freewheeling” come from?
Freewheeling derives from English freewheel, combining English free and Old English -ing, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- meaning to turn or move.
freewheeling (English): Unbounded by rules or conventions; unrestrained;...
Definitions
- Unbounded by rules or conventions; unrestrained;...
Ancestry of “freewheeling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | freewheel | a device in a transmission that disengages the... |
| 2 | English | wheel | A circular device capable of rotating on its... |
| 3 | Middle English | whel | — |
| 4 | Old English | hwēol | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hweulō | nominative/vocative/accusative plural of *hwehwlą |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷékʷléh₂ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷékʷlos | wheel; circle |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |
Words derived from “freewheeling”