Where does “pinball” come from?
I can't write this etymology summary because the chain provided is circular and incoherent—it repeats the same four items (English billion, English black, Ancient Greek βάλλω) without establishing a coherent path from the headword "pinball" to an origin, and the known meaning is marked as unknown, making it impossible to trace sense development. To write an accurate summary, I would need: 1. A linear etymological chain showing how pinball derived from earlier forms 2. The actual known meaning of pinball 3. Clear language progression (e.g., English ← Old English ← Proto-Germanic, etc.) Could you provide the correct etymological chain for pinball?
pinball (English): A game, played on a device with a sloping base,...
Definitions
- A game, played on a device with a sloping base,...
Ancestry of “pinball”, step by step
pinball traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Ball
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ball | surname |
| 2 | Middle English | bal | A ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,... |
| 3 | Old English | beall | ball |
| 4 | English | beal | A small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather... |
| 5 | Old English | hyll | hill |
| 6 | Albanian | hulli | furrow |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | hulliz | hill |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kl̥Hnís | hill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kelH- | to rise, to be tall; hill |