Where does “helen” come from?
helen (Middle English) comes from Old English helan, from Proto-West Germanic helan, from Proto-Germanic helaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱéleti, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.
helen (Middle English): to cure, heal; to heal, get better; to reform
Definitions
- to cure, heal; to heal, get better; to reform
Ancestry of “helen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | helan | to hide, conceal; to calumniate, slander; to... |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | helan | to hide, to conceal |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | helaną | to hide, to conceal |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱéleti | to be covering, hiding |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |
Words derived from “helen”