Where does “woolgathering” come from?
woolgathering (English) comes from English Gathering, from Middle English gadering, from Old English gaderung, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną — smoke; mist, haze.
woolgathering (English): The gathering of fragments of wool torn from...
Definitions
- The gathering of fragments of wool torn from...
Ancestry of “woolgathering”, step by step
woolgathering traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Gathering
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Gathering | A meeting or get-together; a party or social function |
| 2 | Middle English | gadering | — |
| 3 | Old English | gaderung | a gathering, assembly, joining, council,... |
| 4 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 5 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 6 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 9 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 10 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via English Wool
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Wool | OS grid ref SY8486 |
| 2 | Middle English | wolle | wool coat of sheep, especially when used to make fabric |
| 3 | Old English | wull | wool |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | wullu | wool |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | wullō | wool |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂ | wool |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -nós | Creates verbal adjectives from roots |