Where does “children” come from?

children (Middle English) comes from Middle English childre, from Old English ċildru, from Old English ċild, from Proto-Germanic kelþaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵelt-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.

children (Middle English): plural of child

Definitions

  1. plural of child

Ancestry of “children”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishchildreplural of child
2Old Englishċildru—
3Old Englishċildchild, youth; fetus; female baby; child
4Proto-Germanickelþazfetus; newborn; infant; child
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵelt-womb
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵel-to swallow; swallow

Words derived from “children”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵelt- →Every word from Proto-Germanic kelþaz →