Where does “wonderland” come from?

Wonderland is a compound of wonder and land, where land derives from Middle English lond, Old English land, and Proto-Indo-European lendʰ-.

wonderland (English): An imaginary or real place full of wonder or...

Definitions

  1. An imaginary or real place full of wonder or...

Ancestry of “wonderland”, step by step

wonderland traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Wonder

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWonderAny of the Wonders of the World
2Middle Englishwondermarvel, wonder, strange or extraordinary thing or event
3Old Englishwundormiracle, wonder, marvel
4Proto-West Germanicwundrmarvel, wonder
5Proto-Germanicwundrąwonder, miracle
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwenh₁-to love

via English Land

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishLandThe part of Earth which is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water
2Middle EnglishlandAlternative form of lond; urine
3Old Englishhlandurine
4Proto-Germanichlandąurine
5Proto-Indo-Europeanklān-liquid, wet ground

Words derived from “wonderland”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wenh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wundrą →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wundr →