Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spindle” come from?

Spindle comes from Middle English spyndylle, from Old English spinel, from Proto-Germanic spinnaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁-.

spindle (English): A rod used for spinning and then winding natural...

Definitions

  1. A rod used for spinning and then winding natural...

Ancestry of “spindle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishspyndelA spindle; An rod that objects revolve around; a...
2Old Englishspinelspindle
3Proto-West Germanicspinniluspindle
4Proto-West Germanicspinnanto spin
5Proto-Germanicspinnanąto spin
6Proto-Indo-European(s)pénh₁-ne-—
7Proto-Indo-European(s)penh₁-to twist; to weave

Words derived from “spindle”

  • spindly
  • multispindle
  • spindleshanks
  • spindlework
  • spindlelegs
  • spindliness
  • spindletail
  • spindleworm
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- →