Where does “wilde” come from?
wilde (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 “wilde”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | wilde | wild, savage |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | wilþī | wild |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | wilþijaz | wild |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂welh₁- | to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool |
Words derived from “wilde”