Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trowelful” come from?

trowelful (English) comes from English trowel, from Middle English trowell, from Middle French truelle, from Late Latin truella, from Latin trulla, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

trowelful (English): as much as a trowel will hold

Definitions

  1. as much as a trowel will hold

Ancestry of “trowelful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtrowelA mason’s tool, used in spreading and dressing...
2Middle Englishtrowell—
3Middle Frenchtruelle—
4Late Latintruella—
5Latintrullasmall ladle or scoop
6Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
7Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
8Proto-Italic-olos—
9Proto-Italic-elos—
10Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
11Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →