Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “spindle” come from?

spindle (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic spinnilu, from Proto-West Germanic spinnan, from Proto-Germanic spinnaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pénh₁-ne-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- — to twist; to weave.

Ancestry of “spindle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicspinniluspindle
2Proto-West Germanicspinnanto spin
3Proto-Germanicspinnanąto spin
4Proto-Indo-European(s)pénh₁-ne-—
5Proto-Indo-European(s)penh₁-to twist; to weave

Words derived from “spindle”

  • spindle
  • spindly
  • multispindle
  • spindleshanks
  • spindlework
  • spindlelegs
  • spindliness
  • spindletail
  • spindleworm
  • spyndel
  • spyndylle
  • spindel
  • spindil
  • spindle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)penh₁- →