Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “hwealfnian” come from?

hwealfnian (Old English) comes from Old English hwealf, from Proto-Germanic *hwalbaz.

Ancestry of “hwealfnian”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwealfvault, arch; arched, vaulted, hollow, concave,...
2Proto-Germanic*hwalbaz—

Words derived from “hwealfnian”

  • whelm
  • whemmel
  • unwhelm
  • whemmle
  • whelmen
  • hwealmnian
Every word from Proto-Germanic *hwalbaz →