Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “pale” come from?

pale (Middle English) comes from Old French pal, from Latin pālus, from Proto-Italic pākslos, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ǵ-slos, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ǵ- — to attach.

Ancestry of “pale”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchpal—
2Latinpālus—
3Proto-Italicpākslos—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂ǵ-slos—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂ǵ-to attach

Words derived from “pale”

  • pale
  • paleness
  • paling
  • palest
  • palely
  • paleface
  • palefaced
  • paly
  • palish
  • palet
  • palen
  • palewise
  • paleth
  • paleass
  • palesome
  • interpale
  • unpaling
  • paleaquult
  • pales
  • unpale
  • beyond the pale
  • pael
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ǵ- →