Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “islands” come from?

islands (English) comes from English Island, from English iland, from Middle English iland, from Old English īeġland, from Old English īeġ, from Proto-West Germanic auwju, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō — water.

islands (English): plural of island; Third-person singular simple...

Definitions

  1. plural of island; Third-person singular simple...

Ancestry of “islands”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishIsland—
2EnglishilandArchaic form of island
3Middle Englishiland—
4Old Englishīeġlandisland
5Old Englishīeġisland
6Proto-West Germanicauwjufloodplain; meadow; island
7Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
8Proto-Germanicagwjō—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →