Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “javeline” come from?

javeline (French) comes from Middle French javeline, from Old French javelline, from Old French javelot, from Vulgar Latin gabalottus, from Gaulish gabalos, from Proto-Celtic gabalos, from Proto-Indo-European gʰabʰlos — fork, branch of tree.

Ancestry of “javeline”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchjavelinea type of long, thin, spear
2Old Frenchjavellinea type of long, thin, spear used as a weapon
3Old Frenchjavelotjavelin
4Vulgar Latingabalottusspear
5Gaulishgabalos—
6Proto-Celticgabalosfork, forked branch
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰabʰlosfork, branch of tree

Words derived from “javeline”

  • javelina
  • jabalina
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰabʰlos →