Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “quail” come from?

Quail comes from Middle English quaylen, from Middle Dutch queilen, from Latin coagulare meaning "to curdle or congeal," ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH-.

quail (English): To waste away; to fade, to wither; To daunt or...

Definitions

  1. To waste away; to fade, to wither; To daunt or...

Ancestry of “quail”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishquaylenTo be afflicted by disease or wasting; to become...
2Old Frenchcoaillierto curdle
3Vulgar Latincoaglare—
4Latincoāgulō—
5Latincoāgulum—
6Latincōgō—
7Latincōn-—
8Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
9Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
10Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
11Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
12Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
13Middle Englishkyt—
14Germankitt—
15Old High Germankuti—
16Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
17Proto-Germanickweduzresin
18Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
19Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

Words derived from “quail”

  • buttonquail
  • quaileth
  • quailer
  • quail-dove
  • quailest
  • Quailgate
  • quailish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →