Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hilltop” come from?

Hilltop comes from English hill and top, with hill from Middle English hill, Old English hyll, Proto-Germanic tuppaz, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European kelH-, meaning to rise or swell.

hilltop (English): The peak or crest of a hill

Definitions

  1. The peak or crest of a hill

Ancestry of “hilltop”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHilla surname
2Middle Englishhil—
3Old Englishhyllhill
4Albanianhullifurrow
5Proto-Germanichullizhill
6Proto-Indo-Europeankl̥Hníshill
7Proto-Indo-EuropeankelH-to rise, to be tall; hill
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kelH- →