Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “hol” come from?

hol (Middle English) comes from Old English hol, from Proto-West Germanic hol, from Proto-Germanic hulą, from Proto-Germanic hulaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.

hol (Middle English): hollow, empty; concave, sunken; holey

Definitions

  1. hollow, empty; concave, sunken; holey

Ancestry of “hol”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhola hole, a hollow; calumny; slander
2Proto-West Germanicholhollow; hole
3Proto-Germanichuląa hollow; depression; hole
4Proto-Germanichulazhollow
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “hol”

  • whole
  • hole
  • holes
  • portal
  • wholesale
  • wholeheartedly
  • keyhole
  • loophole
  • borehole
  • wholesaler
  • pinhole
  • wholehearted
  • manhole
  • porthole
  • peephole
  • wormhole
  • pigeonhole
  • pothole
  • waterhole
  • armhole
  • portlet
  • holing
  • cubbyhole
  • wholemeal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →