Where does “needle” come from?

Needle comes from Middle English nedle, Old English nǣdl, and Proto-Germanic nēþlō, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root (s)neh₁- meaning to spin or twist.

needle (English): A fine, sharp implement usually for piercing such...

Definitions

  1. A fine, sharp implement usually for piercing such...

Ancestry of “needle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishnedleneedle
2Old Englishnǣdl
3Proto-Germanic*nāþlu
4Proto-Germanicnēþlōneedle
5Proto-Indo-European(s)neh₁-to spin (thread), to sew

Words derived from “needle

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₁-