Where does “sinkhole” come from?
Sinkhole comes from Middle English sinkeholl, a compound of sink and hole referring to a natural depression where water drains away.
sinkhole (English): A hole formed in soluble rock by the action of...
Definitions
- A hole formed in soluble rock by the action of...
Ancestry of “sinkhole”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | hole | A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit;... |
| 2 | Middle English | hole | healthy; safe; whole, complete, full |
| 3 | Old English | hol | a hole, a hollow; calumny; slander |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hol | hollow; hole |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hulą | a hollow; depression; hole |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hulaz | hollow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |