Where does “hovel” come from?
hovel (Middle English) comes from Middle English hōve, from Old English hōf, from Proto-West Germanic *hōf, from Proto-Germanic hufą, from Proto-Indo-European keup-, from Proto-Indo-European keu- — bend; vault, hole; to shine; light; bright.
Ancestry of “hovel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hōve | ground-ivy |
| 2 | Old English | hōf | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *hōf | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hufą | hill, elevated place; house, hall, estate |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | keup- | to arch, bend, buckle; a hollow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | keu- | bend; vault, hole; to shine; light; bright |
Words derived from “hovel”