Where does “wholesale” come from?
wholesale (English) comes from English whole, from Middle English hol, from Old English hol, from Proto-West Germanic hol, from Proto-Germanic hulą, from Proto-Germanic hulaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.
wholesale (English): The sale of products, often in large quantities,...
Definitions
- The sale of products, often in large quantities,...
Ancestry of “wholesale”, step by step
wholesale traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English whole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | whole | Entire, undivided; Sound, uninjured, healthy;... |
| 2 | Middle English | hol | hollow, empty; concave, sunken; holey |
| 3 | Old English | hol | a hole, a hollow; calumny; slander |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hol | hollow; hole |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hulą | a hollow; depression; hole |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hulaz | hollow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |