Where does “yellow” come from?

Yellow comes from Middle English yelow, from Old English ġeolu, from Proto-Germanic gelwaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃wós, a color term of uncertain ultimate origin.

yellow (English): Having yellow as its color; Lacking courage;...

Definitions

  1. Having yellow as its color; Lacking courage;...

Ancestry of “yellow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishyelowyellow, yellowish, gold; yellow-coloured;...
2Old Englishġeoluyellow
3Proto-West Germanicgeluyellow
4Proto-Germanicgelwazyellow
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃wósyellow, green
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰelh₃-to flourish; green, yellow

Words derived from “yellow”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰelh₃- →