Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “walkable” come from?

walkable (English) comes from English walk, from Middle English walk, from Old English wealcian, from Frankish walkōn, from Proto-Germanic walkōną, from Indo-European *wel-.

walkable (English): Able to be walked; Short enough or close enough...

Definitions

  1. Able to be walked; Short enough or close enough...

Ancestry of “walkable”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwalkTo move on the feet by alternately setting each...
2Middle Englishwalkto watch
3Old Englishwealcianto roll up, curl, twist; to wrinkle
4Frankishwalkōnto roll; to full
5Proto-GermanicwalkōnąTo roll about; wallow; To full
6Indo-European*wel-—

Words derived from “walkable”

  • walkability
  • unwalkable
  • walkably
Every word from Indo-European *wel- →