Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vault” come from?

Vault comes from Old French volte, from Italian voltare, from Latin volvere meaning to turn or roll, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European welH-.

vault (English): An arched masonry structure supporting and...

Definitions

  1. An arched masonry structure supporting and...

Ancestry of “vault”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchvolterto turn or spin around; to frolic
2Italianvoltareto turn; to flip; to make turn; to rotate
3Vulgar Latin*volvitare—
4Latinvolverethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
5LatinvolvoI roll, tumble
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwelw-hair, wool, grass, ear , forest; to turn, wind,...
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanwēlH-—
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanwelH-to turn, to wind

Words derived from “vault”

  • vaulting
  • vaulter
  • vaultlike
  • vaulty
  • vaultage
  • vaultingly
  • vaultful
  • vaulteth
  • envault
  • vault-worthy
  • vaultest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European welH- →