Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trowel” come from?

Trowel comes from Middle English trowell, from Middle French truelle, from Late Latin truella, from Latin trulla, from Latin trua, from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ-.

trowel (English): A mason’s tool, used in spreading and dressing...

Definitions

  1. A mason’s tool, used in spreading and dressing...

Ancestry of “trowel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtrowell—
2Middle Frenchtruelle—
3Late Latintruella—
4Latintrullasmall ladle or scoop
5Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
6Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
7Proto-Italic-olos—
8Proto-Italic-elos—
9Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
10Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “trowel”

  • trowelful
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →