Where does “ladder” come from?

Ladder comes from Middle English laddre, from Old English hlǣder, from Proto-Germanic hlaidrijō, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root ḱel- meaning to lean or incline.

ladder (English): A frame, usually portable, of wood, metal, or...

Definitions

  1. A frame, usually portable, of wood, metal, or...

Ancestry of “ladder”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishladderladder; A frame for a cart
2Old Englishhlǣder—
3Proto-West Germanic*hlaidrijuladder
4Proto-Germanichlaidrijōladder
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱley-to shelter, cover; to lean, slope, incline
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “ladder”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱley- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hlaidrijō →