Where does “gallstone” come from?
Gallstone comes from English gall and stone, with gall deriving from French galle, Latin galla, and Proto-Indo-European roots including ǵʰelh₂- and steh₂-.
gallstone (English): A small, hard object, in the shape of a pebble,...
Definitions
- A small, hard object, in the shape of a pebble,...
Ancestry of “gallstone”, step by step
gallstone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Stone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Stone | for someone who lived near a stone worked with stone, from |
| 2 | Middle English | ston | Alternative form of stone |
| 3 | Old English | stān | stone, rock |
| 4 | Old Norse | Veggr | name of a dwarf |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wajjuz | wall |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wh̥₁yús | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weh₁y- | to twist, wind, weave, plait; to wrap, enclose,... |
via English Gall
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Gall | or brazenness; temerity; chutzpah |
| 2 | Irish | gall | foreigner; Anglified Irish person; Alternative... |
| 3 | Irish | -án | A suffix used to derive instruments, diminutives,... |
| 4 | Middle Irish | -án | diminutive suffix |
| 5 | Old Irish | -án | diminutive suffix |
| 6 | Primitive Irish | -ᚐᚌᚅᚔ | diminutive suffix |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | *-agnos | — |