Where does “stairwell” come from?
Stairwell comes from English well, from Middle English wellen, from Old English weallan, from Proto-Germanic hwehwlą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷel-, meaning to turn or move around.
stairwell (English): A shaft in a multi-story building enclosing a...
Definitions
- A shaft in a multi-story building enclosing a...
Ancestry of “stairwell”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | well | Accurately, competently, satisfactorily;... |
| 2 | Middle English | wellen | to boil, to bubble |
| 3 | Old English | weallan | to well |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | wallaną | to well up, spring out, bubble forth |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wēlH- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | welH- | to turn, to wind |