Where does “navel” come from?
navel (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch navalo, from Proto-West Germanic nabulō, from Proto-Germanic nabulô, from Proto-Indo-European h₃nobʰilos, from Proto-Indo-European h₃nobʰ- — navel, nave.
Ancestry of “navel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | navalo | navel |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | nabulō | navel |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | nabulô | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃nobʰilos | navel |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃nobʰ- | navel, nave |