Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “wīl” come from?

wīl (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European wéy-, from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ — I.

wīl (Old English): wile, trick

Definitions

  1. wile, trick

Ancestry of “wīl”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicwīlącraft, deceit
2Proto-Indo-Europeanwéy-—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanéǵh₂I

Words derived from “wīl”

  • wile
  • Wile
  • wileful
  • outwile
  • wile
  • wyle
Every word from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ →