Where does “gully” come from?
Gully comes from Middle English golet, from Old French goulet meaning "narrow passage," from Latin gula meaning "throat," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots gʷel- and kel- meaning "to swallow" or "narrow opening."
gully (English): A trench, ravine or narrow channel which was worn...
Definitions
- A trench, ravine or narrow channel which was worn...
Ancestry of “gully”, step by step
gully traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English golet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | golet | — |
| 2 | Old French | goulet | — |
| 3 | Latin | gula | gullet, throat, palate; gluttony, greediness;... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷel- | throat; to swallow; throat; to dribble; gush... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kel- | to hit; beat; to pierce, to stab; goblet |
via Scots gully
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scots | gully | large knife |