Where does “wall” come from?
Wall comes from Middle English wall, from Old English weallan, from Latin vallum meaning "rampart or fortification," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wel- or (s)kʷálos.
wall (English): A rampart of earth, stones etc. built up for...
Definitions
- A rampart of earth, stones etc. built up for...
Ancestry of “wall”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | wall | Alternative form of wale |
| 2 | Old English | weall | wall; fervour; uproar; boiled or mulled wine |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wallaz | well, spring; wall, rampart, entrenchment |
| 4 | Latin | vallum | wall, rampart, entrenchment |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wēl- | — |
Words derived from “wall”