Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wheelwright” come from?

Wheelwright comes from Middle English whelwryght, a compound of Middle English whele from Old English hwēol from Proto-Germanic hwehwlą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷékʷlos, derived from the root kʷel- meaning to turn or move around.

wheelwright (English): A person who builds and repairs wheels,...

Definitions

  1. A person who builds and repairs wheels,...

Ancestry of “wheelwright”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwhelwryghtA person employed in building and maintaining...
2Middle Englishwrighte—
3Old Englishwyrhtaa worker; a maker of something
4Proto-West Germanicwurhtijōworker, workman
5Proto-West Germanic-jōForms agent nouns from verbs
6Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
8Chichewaiyehe, she
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