Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “homeland” come from?

Homeland derives from Middle English home, Old English land, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European kem-, meaning to cover or enclose, which developed to denote a place of dwelling.

homeland (English): The country that one regards as home; One's...

Definitions

  1. The country that one regards as home; One's...

Ancestry of “homeland”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishHomeA key that when pressed causes the cursor to go...
2Middle Englishhōm—
3Old Englishhāmhome; village, community; village, hamlet, manor,...
4Proto-West Germanichaimhome
5Proto-Germanichaimazhome; house; village
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱóymosof the home, belonging to the family; village,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱey-to be lying down; to settle

Words derived from “homeland”

  • homelander
  • ur-homeland
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- →