Where does “wormhole” come from?
I need to work through this chain carefully, but I notice there's a problem with the etymology provided: it appears corrupted or nonsensical.
The chain shows:
- English hole | Middle English hole | Old English wyrm | Old English helan | Latin oleum | Ancient Greek ἔλαιον | Latin oleum | Proto-Indo-European -kos
This doesn't make linguistic sense. "Wyrm" (worm) and "helan" (to conceal) are Old English words, but they're mixed with Latin "oleum" (oil) and Greek "ἔλαιον" (elaion, oil), and "hole" comes from Old English "hol," not through wyrm.
For "wormhole," the compound would logically derive from:
- "worm" (Old English wyrm)
- "hole" (Old English hol)
But
wormhole (English): a hole burrowed by a worm; A hypothetical...
Definitions
- a hole burrowed by a worm; A hypothetical...
Ancestry of “wormhole”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Worm | — |
| 2 | Middle English | worm | A worm or similar small wormlike animal that... |
| 3 | Old English | wyrm | creeping insect; maggot, grub, worm; snake,... |
| 4 | Old English | lēah | meadow; clearing with a pigsty; woodland,... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | lauh | clearing; meadow |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lauhaz | clearing; meadow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lówkos | clearing; open space, clearing; field, meadow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lewḱ- | lynx |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |
Words derived from “wormhole”