Where does “island” come from?
Island comes from Middle English iland, from Old English īġland, from Proto-Germanic landą and an unattested word for water, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning water and land.
island (English): A contiguous area of land, smaller than a...
Definitions
- A contiguous area of land, smaller than a...
Ancestry of “island”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | iland | Archaic form of island |
| 2 | Middle English | iland | — |
| 3 | Old English | īeġland | island |
| 4 | Old English | īeġ | island |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | auwju | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | awjō | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | agwjō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |
Words derived from “island”