Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “walnut” come from?

Walnut comes from Middle English walnote, from Old English wealhhnutu, from Proto-Germanic walhaz, from Proto-Indo-European knew-, from Proto-Indo-European ken-.

walnut (English): A hardwood tree of the genus "Juglans"; A nut of...

Definitions

  1. A hardwood tree of the genus "Juglans"; A nut of...

Ancestry of “walnut”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwalnoteAlternative form of walnot
2Old Englishwealhhnutuwalnut
3Old Englishwealhforeigner; Briton or Welshman; slave
4Old Englishīeġisland
5Proto-West Germanicauwjufloodplain; meadow; island
6Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
7Proto-Germanicagwjō—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “walnut”

  • walnutty
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →