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
- A frame, usually portable, of wood, metal, or...
Ancestry of “ladder”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ladder | ladder; A frame for a cart |
| 2 | Old English | hlǣder | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *hlaidriju | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hlaidrijō | ladder |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱley- | to shelter, cover; to lean, slope, incline |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |
Words derived from “ladder”