Where does “icefall” come from?

icefall (English) comes from English ice, from Middle English is, from Old English īs, from Proto-West Germanic īs, from Proto-Germanic īsą, from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- — ice, frost.

icefall (English): A relatively rapid and turbulent flow of ice,...

Definitions

  1. A relatively rapid and turbulent flow of ice,...

Ancestry of “icefall”, step by step

icefall traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English ice

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishiceWater in frozen form; Any frozen volatile...
2Middle Englishisice; That which is short-lived like ice; icy...
3Old Englishīsice
4Proto-West Germanicīsice
5Proto-Germanicīsąice
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁eyH-ice, frost

via English fall

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishfall"To be moved downwards."; "To move downwards.";...
2Middle Englishfall—
3Old EnglishfeallAlternative form of fiell
4Proto-Germanicfallą—
5Proto-Indo-European(s)pōl-to fall
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁eyH- →