Where does “ladder” come from?
ladder (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon hlēderi, from Proto-West Germanic *hlaidriju, from Proto-Germanic hlaidrijō, from Proto-Indo-European ḱley-, from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- — to cover; to incline.
Ancestry of “ladder”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Saxon | hlēderi | — |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *hlaidriju | ladder |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hlaidrijō | ladder |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱley- | to shelter, cover; to lean, slope, incline |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |