Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “recoil” come from?

Recoil comes from Old French reculer, meaning to move backward or retreat.

recoil (English): A starting or falling back; a rebound; a...

Definitions

  1. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a...

Ancestry of “recoil”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchreculer—
2Latincūlus—
3Proto-Celtickūlos—
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱuH-ló-—
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kewH-to cover, bedeck; cover

Words derived from “recoil”

  • recoilless
  • nonrecoil
  • recoiler
  • antirecoil
  • subrecoil
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kewH- →