Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “agnail” come from?

agnail (Middle English) comes from Old English agnail, from Old English næġl, from Proto-West Germanic nagl, from Proto-Germanic naglaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- — claw, nail; nail.

Ancestry of “agnail”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishagnail—
2Old Englishnæġlnail
3Proto-West Germanicnaglnail; nail or peg used for fastening
4Proto-Germanicnaglaznail; nail or peg used for fastening
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃nogʰ-claw, nail; nail

Words derived from “agnail”

  • hangnail
  • agnail
  • hangnailed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- →