Where does “cold” come from?

cold (Middle English) comes from Old English cald, from Proto-Germanic *kald, from Proto-Germanic kaldaz, from Proto-Germanic kalaną, from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- — to swallow; swallow.

cold (Middle English): cold, cool; having a tendency to be cold;...

Definitions

  1. cold, cool; having a tendency to be cold;...

Ancestry of “cold”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishcaldAlternative form of ċeald
2Proto-Germanic*kald—
3Proto-Germanickaldazcold
4Proto-Germanickalanąto be cold, to freeze
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵel-to swallow; swallow

Words derived from “cold”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵel- →