Where does “headwall” come from?

headwall (English) comes from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

headwall (English): The highest cliff of a glacial cirque; The steep...

Definitions

  1. The highest cliff of a glacial cirque; The steep...

Ancestry of “headwall”, step by step

headwall traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English head

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheadThe part of the body of an animal or human which...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English Wall

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWallThe Berlin Wall
2Middle EnglishwallAlternative form of wale
3Old Englishweallwall; fervour; uproar; boiled or mulled wine
4Proto-Germanicwallazwell, spring; wall, rampart, entrenchment
5Latinvallumwall, rampart, entrenchment
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwēl-to see, perceive

Words derived from “headwall

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos