Where does “wild” come from?

wild (Middle English) comes from Old English wilde, from Proto-West Germanic wilþī, from Proto-Germanic wilþijaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂welh₁- — to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool.

Ancestry of “wild”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwildewild, savage
2Proto-West Germanicwilþīwild
3Proto-Germanicwilþijazwild
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂welh₁-to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool

Words derived from “wild”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂welh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wilþijaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wilþī →