Where does “nail” come from?
nail (Middle English) comes from Old English næġl, from Proto-West Germanic nagl, from Proto-Germanic naglaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- — claw, nail; nail.
nail (Middle English): Alternative form of nayl
Ancestry of “nail”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | næġl | nail |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | nagl | nail; nail or peg used for fastening |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | naglaz | nail; nail or peg used for fastening |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃nogʰ- | claw, nail; nail |
Words derived from “nail”