Where does “guile” come from?

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

guile (Old French): trickery; deception

Definitions

  1. trickery; deception

Ancestry of “guile”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwīlwile, trick
2Proto-Germanicwīlącraft, deceit
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwéy-—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanéǵh₂I

Words derived from “guile”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂ →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wéy- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wīlą →