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
- A hardwood tree of the genus "Juglans"; A nut of...
Ancestry of “walnut”, step by step
walnut traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English walnote
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | walnote | Alternative form of walnot |
| 2 | Old English | wealhhnutu | walnut |
| 3 | Old English | wealh | foreigner; Briton or Welshman; slave |
| 4 | Old English | īeġ | island |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | auwju | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | awjō | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | agwjō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |
via Germanic *walhahnut
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germanic | *walhahnut | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | walhaz | foreigner, non-Germanic person |
| 3 | Latin | Volcae | a Gallic tribal confederation; name of a Celtic... |
| 4 | Proto-Celtic | wolkos | hawk |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | welg- | wet, damp |