Where does “hovel” come from?
Hovel comes from Middle English hovel, Old English hof, Proto-Germanic hōfaz, and Proto-Indo-European keu-, meaning to bend or curve, also underlying Proto-Indo-European keup-.
hovel (English): An open shed for sheltering cattle, or protecting...
Definitions
- An open shed for sheltering cattle, or protecting...
Ancestry of “hovel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hovel | — |
| 2 | Middle English | hōve | ground-ivy |
| 3 | Old English | hōf | court, hall |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hōf | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hufą | hill, elevated place; house, hall, estate |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | keup- | to arch, bend, buckle; a hollow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | keu- | bend; vault, hole; to shine; light; bright |