Where does “wellspring” come from?

Wellspring comes from Old English wiellspring, a compound of wielle (spring, fountain) and spring (a source of water).

wellspring (English): The source of water for a stream, spring or well;...

Definitions

  1. The source of water for a stream, spring or well;...

Ancestry of “wellspring”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwellespring—
2Old Englishwiellspringa wellspring, fountain, source
3Old Englishwiellspring; fountain
4Proto-West Germanic*wallijāwelling, bubbling, overflowing
5Proto-Germanicwallijǭwell; swirl; wave
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanwēlH-to roll, to undulate
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanwelH-to turn, to wind
Every word from Proto-Indo-European welH- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wēlH- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wallijǭ →